Caliban (moon)
Caliban (moon)
| Discovery | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovered by | Brett J. Gladman, Philip D. Nicholson, Joseph A. Burns, and John J. Kavelaars | ||||||
| Discovered in | September 6, 1997 | ||||||
| Orbital characteristics | |||||||
| Semimajor axis | 7,231,000 km | ||||||
| Eccentricity | 0.1587 | ||||||
| Orbital period | 579.73 d | ||||||
| Inclination | 120.28° (to Uranus' equator) 140.878° (to the local Laplace plane) 139.89° (to the ecliptic) | ||||||
| Is a satellite of | Uranus | ||||||
| Physical characteristics | |||||||
| Mean diameter | ~72 km (estimate) | ||||||
| Surface area | ~16,000 km2 (estimate) | ||||||
| Volume | ~200,000 km3 (estimate) | ||||||
| Mass | ~2.5 kg (estimate) | ||||||
| Mean density | ~1.3 g/cm3 (assumed) | ||||||
| Surface gravity | ~0.02 m/s2 (estimate) | ||||||
| Escape velocity | ~0.031 km/s (estimate) | ||||||
| Rotation period | 2.7h | ||||||
| Axial tilt | unknown | ||||||
| Albedo | 0.04 (assumed) | ||||||
| Surface temp. |
| ||||||
| Atmosphere | none | ||||||
Caliban was discovered on 1997-09-06 by Brett J. Gladman, Philip D. Nicholson, Joseph A. Burns, and John J. Kavelaars using the 200-inch Hale telescope together with Sycorax and given the temporary designation S/1997 U 1.
Designated Uranus XVI it was named after the monster character in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest..
The orbital parameters suggest that it may belong, together with Stephano to the same dynamic cluster, suggesting common origin.
Its diameter is estimated at 72 km (assuming albedo of 0.04) making it the second largest irregular satellite of Uranus, half the size of Sycorax, the biggest irregular satellite of Uranus.
Somewhat inconsistent reports put Caliban in light-red category (B-V=0.83 V-R=0.52, B-V=1.23 V-R=0.47) redder than Sycorax but still less red than most Kuiper Belt Objects.
The light curve suggests the rotation period of 2.7h.
See also
References
External links
- Caliban Profile by NASA's Solar System Exploration
- David Jewiit pages
- Uranus' Known Satellites (by Scott S. Sheppard)
- Ephemeris IAU-NSES
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Sunday September 14, 2008 at 12:12:56 PDT (GMT -0700)
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