Caliban (moon)

Caliban /ˈkælɪbæn/ is the second-largest retrograde irregular satellite of Uranus. It was discovered on 6 September 1997 by Brett J. Gladman, Philip D. Nicholson, Joseph A. Burns, and John J. Kavelaars using the 200-inch Hale telescope together with Sycorax and given the temporary designation S/1997 U 1.

Caliban
Discovery image of Caliban taken by the Hale Telescope in September 1997
Discovery
Discovered by
Discovery siteHale Telescope at Palomar Obs.
Discovery date6 September 1997
Designations
Designation
Uranus XVI
Pronunciation/ˈkælɪbæn/
Named after
Caliban
S/1997 U 2
AdjectivesCalibanian /kælɪˈbniən/
Orbital characteristics
Epoch 27 June 2015 (JD 2457200.5)
Observation arc17.96 yr (6,559 d)
7,163,810 km (0.0478871 AU)
Eccentricity0.0771431
1.59 yr (579.26 d)
294.66253°
0° 37m 17.345s / day
Inclination139.90814° (to the ecliptic)
140.878° (to local Laplace plane)
175.21248°
342.53671°
Satellite ofUranus
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter
42+20
−12
 km
Mass~2.5×1017 kg (estimate)
Mean density
~1.3 g/cm3 (assumed)
9.948±0.019 hr (double-peaked)
2.66±0.04 hr (single-peaked)
Albedo0.22+0.20
−0.12
Temperature~65 K (mean estimate)
22.0 (V)
9.160±0.016
9.0

    Designated Uranus XVI, it was named after the monster character in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.

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