Oberon, satellite of Uranus: description

Despite all modern advances in science and technology, many secrets of the cosmos remain a mystery to mankind. The study of celestial bodies, including the moons of the planets of the solar system, is fraught with many difficulties. Distances do not allow to examine them in detail. Oberon, the satellite of the planet Uranus, like his other "companions", is still waiting for his turn of careful investigation.

History

The total number of all the satellites of Uranus is 27 units. They are divided into groups:

• Internal;
• External;
• The largest.

The internal "trifle" includes 13 dark boulders, from 50 to 150 km in diameter. All of them rotate almost exactly along the equator of the planet and in one direction. A complete revolution is done in a few hours. Perhaps they are connected with the rings of Uranus. The majority was discovered in 1986 with the help of the spacecraft Voyager 2. He also took pictures of Oberon, about 40% of its surface. Only 25% of them are amenable to geological mapping.

The answer to the question of which planet Oetron has a satellite is today known to many schoolchildren. His discovery occurred in January 1787 by William Herschel. For 50 years, few people could see the moon, except for the scientist himself. Telescopes of that time did not have a high penetrating power. Modern optics allows you to see Oberon, even in an amateur telescope.

Name

Only Uranus, a planet with a companion Oberon, boasts a "Shakespearean" retinue. The author of the idea to immortalize Shakespeare in the firmament was an astronomer, of course an Englishman, William Herschel. The planet itself was discovered accidentally in 1781. The scientist wanted to give her the name of King George, but traditions overpowered, and Uranus was born.

Initially, Oberon was called Uranus II. Later, other satellites were discovered, and William Lassell numbered them according to the distance from the planet, Oberon was named Uranus IV. Later, all significant in value began to be called by the name of the heroes of Shakespeare's works. The largest: Miranda, Ariel, Cordelia, Umbriel, Ophelia and Oberon.

Composition

Scientists believe that Oberon, a satellite of Uranus, could easily have formed from an accretion disk. He surrounded the planet immediately after its formation. Judging by the state of the satellite's surface, he was "born" in the same time period as the planet itself.

Presumably the composition of the satellite consists of approximately the same number of stones and water, with most of it is ice. This is indicated by the density of the satellite - 1.63 g / cm. We can assume that the core radius is 480 km. The structure is as follows:

• Stone core;
• Possibly a layer of liquid;
• Ice mantle.

Description

Has a surface of a reddish shade. In all probability, this is the result of the effects of space weathering. This was the result of the active bombardment of micrometeorites and charged particles of its surface over a million years ago. The difference in intensity of shades, most likely, is caused by an acreation (falling of substances on a surface of a heavenly body from an environment). And the leading hemisphere is brighter than the winged one. Its intense redness may be due to the settling of suspended particles from space. Bluish color gives fresh (relatively) mineral deposits.

Oberon is a satellite that is the second largest in the Uranus system and the ninth in the solar system. Characteristics:

• Diameter - 1523 km;
• Weight - 3.014 X 10 ²¹ kg;
• Surface area - 7.3 million km ² ;
• Volume - 1 849 000 000 km³;
• The surface temperature is -203 ... -193 ° С;
• The density is 1.63 g / cm.

The riddled surface is a distinctive feature of the Oberon moon. The satellite literally does not have free space without a crater. Their number can no longer increase. More recent craters are replaced by previous "scars", they appear from eruptions and impacts from outer space. Such an abundance of craters (more than any other satellite) indicates a venerable age.

The main objects that received the name of craters and canyons. "Shakespearian" theme is preserved here. The largest craters in the visible part:

• Othello is 114 km in diameter.
• Lear is 126 km away.
• Romeo - 159 km.
• Macbeth is 203 km away.
• Hamlet is 206 km away.

Perhaps there are larger ones, but so far they are not available for study. Many craters have peculiar light rays. Scientists suggest that this is the release of frozen water - ice. The dark bottom can indicate the outlet of dirty water, in analogy with the lunar seas. Another assumption of the shadowing of the bottom of the craters is based on the fact that beneath the ice surface crust there are subsoil darker colors. Canyons are much smaller, the longest is Mommur (537 kilometers).

Orbit

Oberon is a satellite with an orbit of 584,000 km. It is constantly turned to the planet by one side. This is not uncommon in the solar system. Our Moon in relation to the Earth is in the same position that is characteristic of large satellites. Due to the small deviation from the circumference and the presence of an equatorial tilt, this distance can vary. The orbital period coincides with the period of rotation and is thirteen and a half days.

The most distant (from the big moons) Oberon, most of its orbit passes without the influence of the planet's magnetosphere. Its outer surface is open to the solar wind. The force of attack from the part of Uranus by plasma particles is much less than that of other satellites, therefore Oberon is visually lighter than its "brethren".

The plane of the planet's equator roughly coincides with the orbits of its largest satellites. Seasonal shift is long-42 years. Each of the poles first hides for almost half a century in the dark, then spends the same amount on the Sun.

Once in forty-two years, during the equinox, the Sun and Earth pass through the equatorial plane of Uranus. At that moment, mutual coverage of the satellites is observed.