Puck (moon)

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Puck
Image:Uranus'_moon_puck.gif
Discovery
Discovered by Stephen P. Synnott / Voyager 2
Discovered on December 30, 1985
Orbital characteristics
Mean radius 86,004 km
Eccentricity 0.00005
Orbital period 0.76183 d
Inclination 0.318° (to Uranus' equator)
Is a satellite of Uranus
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter 162 km[1]
Surface area ~82,400 km²
Volume ~2,226,000 km³
Mass ~2.9×1018 kg (estimate)
Mean density ~1.3 g/cm³ (estimate)
Surface gravity 0.029 m/s2 (estimate)
Escape velocity ~0.069 km/s (estimate)
Rotation period synchronous (assumed?)
Axial tilt zero (assumed?)
Albedo 0.07
Surface temp.
min mean max
~64 K (estimate)
Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa

Puck (puk', IPA: [ˈpɐk]) is an inner satellite of Uranus. Little is known about it aside from its orbit, its size, and its low albedo (approximately 0.07).

Puck was discovered from the images taken by Voyager 2 on 1985-12-30, and was given the temporary designation S/1985 U 1.[2]

Puck is the largest of small inner satellites of Uranus; it is intermediate in size between Portia and Miranda, the smallest of the five larger satellites. Puck's orbit is also located between these two moons. Of the moons discovered by the Voyager 2 imaging team, only Puck was discovered early enough that the probe could be programmed to image it in detail.

Most of the moons of Uranus are named after characters in the plays of William Shakespeare or the poems of Alexander Pope. In Celtic mythology and English folklore, a Puck is a mischievous sprite, imagined as an evil demon by Christians; the moon is named after the Puck who appears in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, in which he travels around the globe at night with the fairies. It is also designated Uranus XV.[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Showalter, Mark R., Jack J. Lissauer (2005-12-22). "The Second Ring-Moon System of Uranus: Discovery and Dynamics". Science Express. DOI:10.1126/science.1122882.
  2. ^ Smith, B. (January 16, 1986). IAU Circular No. 4159. Retrieved on 2006-08-06.
  3. ^ Planet and Satellite Names and Discoverers. Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology (July 21, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-06.

[edit] See also

Map of Puck
Enlarge
Map of Puck
edit Uranus' natural satellites
Cordelia · Ophelia · Bianca · Cressida · Desdemona · Juliet · Portia · Rosalind · Cupid · Belinda · Perdita · Puck · Mab
Miranda · Ariel · Umbriel · Titania · Oberon
Francisco · Caliban · Stephano · Trinculo · Sycorax · Margaret · Prospero · Setebos · Ferdinand
See also: Rings of Uranus