Ariel Moon Facts: Curious Details On One Of The Five Moons Of Uranus
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As we all know, Uranus was discovered to be the seventh planet from the sun.
Uranus lies between Saturn and Neptune in the solar system. It also has the third-largest diameter compared to the other planets.
When it comes to the length of a year on Uranus, it's equal to approximately 30,687 days on Earth. Uranus was actually the first planet ever seen through a telescope and was discovered by William Herschel in 1781.
He wanted to name the planet 'Georgium Sidus' after King George III, but the name Uranus was chosen based on the Greek god as suggested by Johann Elert Bode. Most of Uranus is actually made up of ice mixed with methane and ammonia.
The planet also has a rocky core. Apart from the planet itself, another interesting aspect has to be the moons.
Up till now, 27 major Uranian moons have been discovered, but there are five major moons. Ariel is one of them, and it's also regarded as the most reflective moon.
Keep reading if you want to learn more about the Ariel moon!
If you like what you read, then don't forget to check out these fun Apollo 11 facts and Apollo 13 facts, here at Kidadl.
Ariel is a moon of which planet in the solar system?
Ariel is a moon of Uranus, the seventh planet of the solar system. This moon is considered one of the largest moons on the planet. It has been discovered that this moon has an equal amount of water ice and silicate rock.
Ariel is also considered one of the youngest moons of Uranus.
Who discovered the moons Ariel and Umbriel?
The moons Ariel and Umbriel were discovered by William Lassell, a British astronomer, in 1851.
Both of these moons were named after characters from Alexander Pope's epic poem 'The Rape Of The Lock'. On top of that, the name Ariel also reverberates with the name of a character from Shakespeare's play 'The Tempest'.
The Uranian moons were discovered at the same time and are a part of the five major moons including Miranda, Titania, and Oberon.
The name Ariel from Alexander Pope's book, 'The Rape Of The Lock' was given by Sir John Herschel, the son of Sir William Herschel, who actually discovered the existence of Uranus. He named Ariel at the request of William Lassell, who discovered Ariel, the moon of Uranus.
Which planet is orbited by the moon, Ariel?
Ariel is a moon of Uranus, the seventh planet of the solar system.
Among the five major Uranus moons, Ariel takes fourth place in terms of size. It's said to have been born from an accretion disk, and Ariel's surface is said to be half water ice and half rocks.
Moreover, the surface of Ariel is said to be strewn with large craters, ridges, and canyons.
The orbital period of Ariel is about two and a half Earth days. We have come to know about Ariel in such detail due to the pictures captured by Voyager 2, the only artificial satellite to get into the orbit of Uranus to date.
Can we live on Ariel moon?
It's safe to say that we would not be able to survive on Ariel.
One of the major reasons is that Ariel's surface is not meant for our habitation. Yes, it does have ice, but the temperature is so low that we wouldn't be able to survive for long.
On top of that, the photos taken by Voyager 2 revealed craters and other depressions that the scientists believe to have been caused by gases like ammonia, methane, or carbon monoxide.
The surface of Ariel is also thought to be porous in nature, so it lacks the ability to hold its temperature for a long time. And, there isn't really a proper atmosphere present on Ariel's surface to sustain human life.
The approximate temperature is thought to be around -351 F (-213 C). So, it's best to say that we won't be able to seek Ariel as a probable home for the future.
Did You Know?
Here are a few amazing facts about the moon Ariel, which is one of the major and largest Uranian moons.
Along with being smaller compared to the other Uranian moons, the surface of Ariel is quite reflective. It's also regarded as the brightest moon, even brighter when compared to Titania, another major Uranian moon. Moreover, the brightness of Ariel is enhanced when it lies directly between the sun and Uranus.
Another interesting thing about Ariel is its rounded shape, which positions it among the 19 spherical moons of Uranus. Moreover, the surface area of the moon, Ariel, is said to be around 16,25,994.9 sq mi (4,211,307.59 sq km).
Compared to it, the surface area of the Earth is around 196,936,993.6 sq mi (510,064,472 sq km). Surprisingly, it's assumed that the moon's interior expanded over a period of 200 million years.
Ariel orbits Uranus in about 40 hours. This means that the polar caps on Ariel are devoid of light for long periods, sometimes for about 42 years.
The surface gravity on the Ariel moon is said to be around 0.25 sq mi (0.64 sq km).
Just like our very own moon, Ariel keeps the same face while it orbits Uranus.
Yangoor is believed to be the largest crater present on the surface of Ariel, and it goes on for 48 mi (78 km).
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy!
If you liked our suggestions for Ariel moon facts and curious details on one of the five moons of Uranus, then why not take a look at 31 facts everyone should know about the Apollo 13 space mission or acid rain facts you need to learn and be safe for life.
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Bachelor of Science specializing in Mass Communication.
Adekunle Olanrewaju JasonBachelor of Science specializing in Mass Communication.
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