NASA Solarsystem Collection

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New Satellites of Uranus Discovered in 2003

Discovery images of one of the newly found Uranus satellites S/2003 U3 showing its motion relative to background stars and galaxies.

Scott S. Sheppard and David Jewitt at the University of Hawaii have discovered 2 new outer satellites of Uranus designated S/2001 U2 and S/2003 U3. The discovery images were obtained from the Subaru 8.3m telescope atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii on August 29, 2003. Further observations by the Hawaii team using the Gemini 8.2m telescope allowed Brian Marsden at the Minor Planet Center to link the satellites to independent discovery observations obtained in 2001 by a group lead by Matt Holman and JJ Kavelaars. The 2001 observations were not enough to determine if the objects were satellites of Uranus and no reliable orbits were found. They were than lost until discovery in 2003 by the Hawaii team.

The new Uranus satellite S/2001 U2 was announced by the International Astronomical Union on October 1 ( IAU Circular 8213 ) and S/2003 U3 on October 9 ( IAU Circular 8217 ). The new satellites are about 12 and 11 kilometers in diameter respectively. S/2001 U2 has an orbital period of about 8 years and is in a retrograde orbit. S/2003 U3 has an orbital period of just over 4 years and is the first prograde irregular satellite discovered around Uranus. All the giant planets now have known prograde and retrograde irregular satellites.

Uranus now has 27 known satellites of which 9 have irregular orbits.

See http://www.ifa.hawa…for more information.

10.01.2003

Solar System Exploration

SSE

Space

NASA

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

JPL

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Planets

Moon

Gemini

Gemini 8

Uranus

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Hawaii

Uranus

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

2003

August 29, 2003

2001

10-01-2003

2003

2001

SPD-SLRSY-1

http://solarsystem.…