Ariel, a Moon of Uranus

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Ariel, a Moon of Uranus
Uranus I

Ariel [AIR-ee-al] is a relatively small satellite and is the brightest moon of Uranus. The surface is pock-marked with craters, but the most outstanding features are long rift valleys stretching across the entire surface. Canyons much like the ones on Mars appear in the pictures. The canyon floors appear as though they have been smoothed by a fluid. The fluid could not have been water because water acts like steel at these temperatures. The flow marks might have been made by ammonia, methane or even carbon monoxide.

Ariel Statistics

Discovered by	William Lassell
Date of discovery	1851

Mass (kg)	1.27e+21
Mass (Earth = 1)	2.1252e-04
Equatorial radius (km)	578.9
Equatorial radius (Earth = 1)	9.0765e-02
Mean density (gm/cm^3)	1.56

Mean distance from Uranus (km)	191,240
Rotational period (days)	2.520379
Orbital period (days)	2.520379
Mean orbital velocity (km/sec)	5.52

Orbital eccentricity	0.0034
Orbital inclination (degrees)	0.31

Escape velocity (km/sec)	0.541

Visual geometric albedo	0.34
Magnitude (Vo)	14.16

Views of Ariel

Ariel

This image of Ariel shows a world pock-marked with craters. Across its surface long rift valleys extend. Ariel has canyons similar to those on Mars, with canyon floors that appear to have been smoothed by a fluid. The fluid could not have been water because water acts like steel at these temperatures. The flow marks might have been made by ammonia, methane or even carbon monoxide. (Credit Calvin J. Hamilton)

Mercator Map of Ariel
This image is a mercator map of Ariel. The map covers from 70 to -70 degrees latitude with 0 degree longitude located at the center. The scale is 2km/pixel at the equator. (Courtesy A. Tayfun Oner)

Polar Stereographic Map of Ariel
This image is a polar stereographic map of the southern hemisphere of Ariel. Zero degrees longitude is at the top. The best unsmeared Voyager 2 images of Ariel were used in making this map. (Courtesy A. Tayfun Oner)

Orthographic View of Ariel
This image is an orthographic view of Ariel centered at -66 degrees latitude and 316 degrees longitude. (Courtesy A. Tayfun Oner)

Highest Resolution Mosaic of Ariel
This image of Ariel is at the same geometry of the highest resolution mosaic of Ariel taken by Voyager. The mosaic consists of four clear filter images. Two of these images that covered the terminator were smeared because of the longer exposure times. The mosaic was made as follows: First the map of Ariel (which was made by using the best unsmeared pictures of any region) was projected into the highest resolution mosaic geometry. Then in order to restore the limb topography, thin slices were cut from the limbs of the original images and were mosaicked with the projected image. (Courtesy A. Tayfun Oner)

Uranus Miranda Umbriel