Voyager 2 image of Uranus and it's 10 innermost moons. Satellite 1986 U 10 is in the upper right corner.
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of NASA
Yet Another Moon for Uranus...
News story originally written on August 16, 1999
Another moon has been found orbiting the planet Uranus. This increases the total number to 18, leaving Uranus tied with Saturn as the planet with the most moons. Discovered by a University of Arizona scientist, the satellite is named Satellite 1986 U 10.
This finding is particularly interesting because 13 year old photographs were used to find the moon. In January, 1986, Voyager 2 took seven pictures of Satellite 1986 U 10. At that time, only nine innermost satellites were known of. The new moon increases the number to 10.
The discoverer, Erich Karkoschka, says, "This discovery is very unusual. Typically, satellites are found within days after the discovery image has been taken. In this case, the discovery image is more than 13 years old".
After one year, Satellite 1986 U 10 will be given a new name by the International Astronomical Union. Currently, the other nine innermost moons are named for characters in Shakespeare plays.
You might also be interested in:
The rare geometric arrangement of planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune in the 1980's made it possible for the Voyager spacecrafts to visit them over a 12 year span instead of the normal 30. They
...more
It was another exciting and frustrating year for the space science program. It seemed that every step forward led to one backwards. Either way, NASA led the way to a great century of discovery. Unfortunately,
...more
The Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from Kennedy Space Center at 2:19 p.m. EST, October 29th. The sky was clear and the weather was great as Discovery took 8 1/2 minutes to reach orbit for the Unitied
...more
A moon was discovered orbiting the asteroid, Eugenia. This is only the second time in history that a satellite has been seen circling an asteroid. A special mirror allowed scientists to find the moon
...more
Will Russia ever put the service module for the International Space Station in space? NASA officials are demanding an answer from the Russian government. The necessary service module is currently waiting
...more
During a period of about two days in early May, 1998, the ACE spacecraft was immersed in plasma associated with a coronal mass ejection (CME). The SWICS instrument on ACE, which determines unambiguously
...more
J.S. Maini of the Canadian Forest Service has referred to forests as the "heart and lungs of the world." Forests reduce soil erosion, maintain water quality, contribute to atmospheric humidity and cloud
...more
