Caliban (moon)
Caliban /ˈkælɪbæn/ is the second-largest retrograde irregular satellite of Uranus. It was discovered on 6 September 1997 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.
Discovery image of Caliban taken by the Hale Telescope in September 1997 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by |
|
| Discovery site | Hale Telescope at Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 6 September 1997 |
| Designations | |
Designation | Uranus XVI |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkælɪbæn/ |
Named after | Caliban |
Alternative names | S/1997 U 2 |
| Adjectives | Calibanian /kælɪˈbeɪniən/ |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 27 June 2015 (JD 2457200.5) | |
| Observation arc | 17.96 yr (6,559 d) |
Semi-major axis | 7,163,810 km (0.0478871 AU) |
| Eccentricity | 0.0771431 |
Orbital period (sidereal) | 1.59 yr (579.26 d) |
Mean anomaly | 294.66253° |
Mean motion | 0° 37m 17.345s / day |
| Inclination | 139.90814° (to the ecliptic) 140.878° (to local Laplace plane) |
Longitude of ascending node | 175.21248° |
| 342.53671° | |
| Satellite of | Uranus |
| Group | Caliban group |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 42+20 −12 km |
| Mass | ~2.5×1017 kg (estimate) |
Mean density | ~1.3 g/cm3 (assumed) |
Synodic rotation period | 9.948±0.019 hr (double-peaked) 2.66±0.04 hr (single-peaked) |
| Albedo | 0.22+0.20 −0.12 |
| Temperature | ~65 K (mean estimate) |
| 22.0 (V) | |
| 9.160±0.016 9.0 | |
Designated Uranus XVI, it was named after the monster character in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.
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