Francisco (moon)
Encyclopedia
Francisco is the innermost irregular satellite
of Uranus
.
Francisco was discovered by Matthew J. Holman
, et al. and Brett J. Gladman
, et al. in 2003 from pictures taken in 2001 and given the provisional designation S/2001 U 3.
Confirmed as Uranus XXII, it was named after a lord in William Shakespeare
's play The Tempest
.
Irregular satellite
In astronomy, an irregular moon is a natural satellite following a distant, inclined, and often eccentric and retrograde orbit. They are believed to have been captured by their parent planet, unlike regular satellites, which form in situ....
of Uranus
Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It has the third-largest planetary radius and fourth-largest planetary mass in the Solar System. It is named after the ancient Greek deity of the sky Uranus , the father of Cronus and grandfather of Zeus...
.
Francisco was discovered by Matthew J. Holman
Matthew J. Holman
Matthew J. Holman is a Smithsonian Astrophysicist and lecturer at Harvard University. Holman studied at MIT, where he received his bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1989 and his PhD in planetary science in 1994....
, et al. and Brett J. Gladman
Brett J. Gladman
Brett J. Gladman is a Canadian astronomer and a full professor at the University of British Columbia's Department of Physics and Astronomy in Vancouver, British Columbia. He holds the Canada Research Chair in Planetary Astronomy.-Career:...
, et al. in 2003 from pictures taken in 2001 and given the provisional designation S/2001 U 3.
Confirmed as Uranus XXII, it was named after a lord in William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's play The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
.
External links
- Francisco profile by NASA's Solar System Exploration
- David Jewitt pages
- Uranus' Known Satellites (by Scott S. SheppardScott S. SheppardScott S. Sheppard is an astronomer in the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution for Science. Starting as a graduate student at the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii, he was credited with the discovery of many small moons of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and...
) - Ephemeris IAU-NSES