Cressida (moon)

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Cressida
Discovery
Discovered byStephen P. Synnott / Voyager 2
Discovery dateJanuary 9, 1986
Orbital characteristics
Mean orbit radius
61,766.730 ± 0.046 km[1]
Eccentricity0.00036 ± 0.00011[1]
0.463569601 ± 0.000000013 d[1]
Inclination0.006 ± 0.040° (to Uranus' equator)[1]
Satellite ofUranus
Physical characteristics
Dimensions92 × 74 × 74 km[2]
Mean radius
41 ± 2 km[2]
~20,000 km²[3]
Volume~260,000 km³[3]
Mass~3.4×1017 kg[3]
Mean density
~1.3 g/cm³ (assumed)
~0.013 m/s2[3]
~0.034 km/s[3]
synchronous[2]
zero[2]
Albedo0.08 ± 0.01[4]
Temperature~64 K[3]
Uranus-Portia-Cressida-Ophelia-NASA.gif

Cressida is a closer moon to Uranus. It was found from the images taken by Voyager 2 on 1986-01-09, and was given the designation S/1986 U 3.[5] It was named after the Trojan daughter of Calchas, a tragic heroine who appears in William Shakespeare's play Troilus and Cressida (as well as in tales by Geoffrey Chaucer and others). It is also designated Uranus IX.[6]

Cressida belongs to Portia Group of moons, which also includes Bianca, Desdemona, Juliet, Portia, Rosalind, Cupid, Belinda and Perdita.[4] These moons have similar orbits and photometric properties.[4] Other than its orbit,[1] radius of 41 km[2] and geometric albedo of 0.08[4] almost nothing is known about it.

At the Voyager 2 images Cressida appears as a stretched object, the major axis pointing towards Uranus. The ratio of axes of Cressida's prolate spheroid is 0.8 ± 0.3.[2] Its surface is grey in color.[2]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Jacobson, R.A.. The Orbits of the Inner Uranian Satellites From Hubble Space Telescope and Voyager2 Observations. The Astronomical Journal 115 (3) (1998). p. 1195–1199. doi:10.1086/300263.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Karkoschka, Erich. Voyager's Eleventh Discovery of a Satellite of Uranus and Photometry and the First Size Measurements of Nine Satellites. Icarus 151 (1) (2001). p. 69–77. doi:10.1006/icar.2001.6597.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Calculated on the basis of other parameters
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Karkoschka, Erich. Comprehensive Photometry of the Rings and 16 Satellites of Uranus with the Hubble Space Telescope. Icarus 151 (1) (2001). p. 51–68. doi:10.1006/icar.2001.6596.
  5. ↑ Smith, B. A.. IAU Circular No. 4164 (January 16, 1986). Retrieved 2006-08-06.
  6. ↑ Planet and Satellite Names and Discoverers. Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature (July 21, 2006)USGS Astrogeology. Retrieved 2006-08-06.

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