Belinda (moon)
Belinda is an inner satellite of the planet Uranus. Belinda was discovered from the images taken by Voyager 2 on 13 January 1986 and was given the temporary designation S/1986 U 5.[7] It is named after the heroine of Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock. It is also designated Uranus XIV.[8]
Belinda viewed by Voyager 2 in 1986 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Stephen P. Synnott / Voyager 2 |
| Discovery date | January 13, 1986 |
| Designations | |
Designation | Uranus XIV |
| Pronunciation | /bəˈlɪndə/[1] |
| Adjectives | Belindian |
| Orbital characteristics | |
Mean orbit radius | 75,255.613 ± 0.057 km[2] |
| Eccentricity | 0.00007 ± 0.000073[2] |
| 0.623527470 ± 0.000000017 d[2] | |
| Inclination | 0.03063 ± 0.028° (to Uranus' equator)[2] |
| Satellite of | Uranus |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 128 × 64 × 64 km[3] |
Mean radius | 40.3 ± 8 km[3][4][5] |
| ~25,000 km2 [a] | |
| Volume | ~380,000 km3 [a] |
| Mass | ~3.6×1017 kg[a] |
Mean density | ~1.3 g/cm3 (assumed)[4] |
| ~0.014 m/s2 [a] | |
| ~0.034 km/s[a] | |
| synchronous[3] | |
| zero[3] | |
| Albedo | 0.08 ± 0.01[6] |
| Temperature | ~64 K[a] |
Belinda belongs to the Portia group of satellites, which also includes Bianca, Cressida, Desdemona, Portia, Juliet, Cupid, Rosalind and Perdita.[6] These satellites have similar orbits and photometric properties.[6] Other than its orbit,[2] radius of 45 km[3] and geometric albedo of 0.08[6] virtually nothing is known about it.
The Voyager 2 images show Belinda as an elongated object with its major axis pointing towards Uranus. The moon is very elongated, with its short axis 0.5 ± 0.1 times the long axis.[3] Its surface is grey in color.[3]
The inner moon system is unstable over timescales of several millions of years. Belinda and Cupid will probably be the first pair of moons to collide, in 100,000 to 10 million years' time depending on the densities of the Portia-group satellites, due to resonant interactions with the much smaller Cupid.[9]
See also
References
Explanatory notes
Citations
- ^ Benjamin Smith (1903) The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- ^ a b c d e Jacobson 1998.
- ^ a b c d e f g Karkoschka, Voyager 2001.
- ^ a b JPL Solar System Dynamics.
- ^ Williams 2007.
- ^ a b c d Karkoschka, Hubble 2001.
- ^ IAUC 4164.
- ^ USGS: Planet and Satellite Names and Discoverers.
- ^ French, Robert S.; Showalter, Mark R. (August 2012). "Cupid is doomed: An analysis of the stability of the inner uranian satellites". Icarus. 220 (2): 911–921. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2012.06.031.
Sources
- Jacobson, R. A. (1998). "The Orbits of the Inner Uranian Satellites From Hubble Space Telescope and Voyager 2 Observations". The Astronomical Journal. 115 (3): 1195–1199. Bibcode:1998AJ....115.1195J. doi:10.1086/300263. S2CID 118616209.
- Karkoschka, Erich (2001). "Voyager's Eleventh Discovery of a Satellite of Uranus and Photometry and the First Size Measurements of Nine Satellites". Icarus. 151 (1): 69–77. Bibcode:2001Icar..151...69K. doi:10.1006/icar.2001.6597.
- "Planetary Satellite Physical Parameters". JPL (Solar System Dynamics). 18 October 2010. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
- Williams, Dr. David R. (23 November 2007). "Uranian Satellite Fact Sheet". NASA (National Space Science Data Center). Retrieved 2012-01-27.
- Karkoschka, Erich (2001). "Comprehensive Photometry of the Rings and 16 Satellites of Uranus with the Hubble Space Telescope". Icarus. 151 (1): 51–68. Bibcode:2001Icar..151...51K. doi:10.1006/icar.2001.6596.
- Marsden, Brian G. (1986-01-16). "Satellites of Uranus". IAU Circular. 4164. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
- USGS/IAU (July 21, 2006). "Planet and Satellite Names and Discoverers". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
External links
- by NASA's Solar System Exploration
- Uranus' Known Satellites (by Scott S. Sheppard)