Discovery | |||||||
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Discovered by | William Lassell | ||||||
Discovered in | 1851 | ||||||
Orbital characteristics | |||||||
Mean radius | 190,900 km | ||||||
Perihelion | |||||||
Aphelion | |||||||
Eccentricity | |||||||
Orbital period | 2.52 days | ||||||
Inclination | ° | ||||||
Satellite of | Uranus | ||||||
Physical characteristics | |||||||
Equatorial diameter | 1160 km | ||||||
Surface area | 4,200,000 km2 | ||||||
Mass | kg | ||||||
Mean density | g/cm3 | ||||||
Surface gravity | m/s2 | ||||||
Escape velocity | km/s | ||||||
Rotation period | 2.52 days | ||||||
Axial tilt | ° | ||||||
Albedo | |||||||
Surface temperature |
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Atmospheric pressure | 0 kPa |
Ariel is a moon of Uranus discovered in 1851 by William Lassell. Its composition is roughly 50% water ice, 30% silicate rock, and 20% methane ice, and it appears to have regions of fresh frost in places. Largely devoid of impact craters, Ariel appears to have undergone a period of intense geological activity that has produced a huge network of fault canyons and liquid water outflows over its surface.