Prospero (moon)
Discovery image of Prospero.
|
|
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | |
| Discovery date | 18 July 1999 |
| Designations | |
| Adjectives | Prosperonian, Prosperian |
| Orbital characteristics | |
|
Mean orbit radius
|
16,256,000 km |
| Eccentricity | 0.4448 |
| 1978.29 d | |
| Inclination | 152° (to the ecliptic) |
| Satellite of | Uranus |
| Physical characteristics | |
|
Mean radius
|
25 km (estimate) |
| ~8000 km² (estimate) | |
| Volume | ~65,000 km³ (estimate) |
| Mass | ~8.5×1016kg (estimate) |
|
Mean density
|
~1.3 g/cm³ (assumed) |
| ~0.021 km/s (estimate) | |
| ? | |
| ? | |
| Albedo | 0.04 (assumed) |
| Temperature | ~65 K (estimate) |
Prospero (/ˈprɒspəroʊ/ PROS-pər-oh) is a relatively small retrograde irregular satellite of Uranus discovered on 18 July 1999 by the astrophysicist Matthew Holman and his team, and given the provisional designation S/1999 U 3. Confirmed as Uranus XVIII it was named after the sorcerer Prospero in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.
The orbital parameters suggest that it may belong to the same dynamic cluster as Sycorax and Setebos, suggesting common origin. However, this suggestion does not appear to be supported by the observed colours. The satellite appears neutral (grey) in visible light (colour indices B-V=0.80, R-V=0.39), similar to Setebos but different from Sycorax (which is light red).
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