Trinculo /ˈtrɪŋkjʊl/ is a retrograde irregular satellite of Uranus. It was discovered by a group of astronomers led by Holman, et al. on 13 August 2001, and given the temporary designation S/2001 U 1.[1]

Trinculo
Trinculo (circled) imaged by the Very Large Telescope on 3 September 2002. The bright glare on the right is from Uranus, overexposed beyond the frame.
Discovery
Discovered by
Discovery dateAugust 13, 2001[1][2] (confirmed in 2002[1][3])
Designations
Designation
Uranus XXI
Pronunciation/ˈtrɪŋkjʊl/[4][5]
Adjectives[citation needed]
Orbital characteristics
Mean orbit radius
8,504,000 km[6][7]
Eccentricity0.2200[6][7]
749.24 d
Inclination167° (to the ecliptic)[6]
Satellite ofUranus
Physical characteristics
9 km (estimate)[8]
~1,000 km2 (estimate)
Volume~3,000 km3 (estimate)
Mass~3.9×1015 kg (estimate)
Mean density
~1.3 g/cm3 (assumed)
~0.0021 m/s2 (estimate)
~0.007 km/s (estimate)
?
?
Albedo0.04 (assumed)[8]
Temperature~65 K (estimate)

Confirmed as Uranus XXI, it was named after the drunken jester Trinculo in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest. Trinculo is the second smallest of Uranus' 28 moons after Ferdinand and is approximately only 18 km wide.

Animation of Trinculo's orbit around Uranus.
   Uranus  ·    Sycorax ·    Francisco  ·    Caliban  ·    Stephano  ·    Trinculo

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Daniel W. E. Green (2002-09-30). "IAUC 7980: S/2001 U 1". IAU Circular. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
  2. ^ Jennifer Blue (2008-10-16). "Planet and Satellite Names and Discoverers". Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). Retrieved 2008-12-19.
  3. ^ Sheppard, Scott S. "New Satellites of Uranus Discovered in 2003". Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii. Archived from the original on 5 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
  4. ^ Shakespeare Recording Society (1995) The Tempest (audio CD)
  5. ^ Benjamin Smith (1903) The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
  6. ^ a b c Sheppard, Jewitt & Kleyna 2005, p. 523, Table 3.
  7. ^ a b Jacobson, R.A. (2003) URA067 (2007-06-28). "Planetary Satellite Mean Orbital Parameters". JPL/NASA. Retrieved 2008-01-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ a b Sheppard, Jewitt & Kleyna 2005, p. 523, Table 3 ... ri (km) ... 9 ... i Radius of satellite assuming a geometric albedo of 0.04.
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