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Oberon (moon)

Oberon

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Discovery
Discovered byWilliam Herschel
Discovered inJanuary 11, 1787
Orbital characteristics
Mean radius583519 km
Eccentricity~0.0016
Orbital period13.463234d
Inclination~0.7°
Is a satellite ofUranus
Physical characteristics
Equatorial radius761.4 km
Surface area km2
Mass3.014×1021 kg
Mean density1.63 g/cm3
Surface gravity0.346 m/s2
Rotation period?
Axial tilt
Albedo0.24
Surface temp
minmeanmax
KKK
Atmospheric pressure0 kPa

Oberon is the outermost of the major moonss of the planet Uranus; discovered on January 11, 1787 by William Herschel. All of the moons of Uranus are named for characters from Shakespeare or Alexander Pope. Names for the first four discovered moons of Uranus (Oberon, Titania, Ariel, Umbriel) were given by John Herschel, the son of William. Oberon was named after Oberon, the king of the Faeries in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Oberon is composed of roughly 50% water ice, 30% silicate rock, and 20% methane-related carbon/nitrogen compounds. It has an old, heavily cratered, and icy surface which shows shows little evidence of internal activity other than some unknown dark material that apparently covers the floors of many craters.