Mab
Discovery
Discovered byMark R. Showalter and Jack J. Lissauer
Discovery dateAugust 25, 2003
Designations
Designation
Uranus XXVI
Pronunciation/ˈmæb/[1]
AdjectivesMabbian
Orbital characteristics[2]
97 736 km
Eccentricity0.00347
0.923 d
7.70 km/s (calculated)
Inclination0.12217° (to Uranus' equator)
Satellite ofUranus
Physical characteristics
Mean radius
6 km/12.4±0.5 km
~450/1930 km2
Volume~900/7990 km3
Mass~(0.90/8.0)×1015 kg
Mean density
0.5–1.2 g/cm3[3]
1 g/cm3 (assumed)
~0.002/0.003 m/s2
~0.004/0.009 km/s
synchronous
0
Albedo~0.46/0.1 (assumed)[4]
Temperature~63 K
26[5]

Mab, or Uranus XXVI,[6] is an inner satellite of Uranus. It was discovered by Mark R. Showalter and Jack J. Lissauer in 2003 using the Hubble Space Telescope.[7] It was named after Queen Mab, a fairy queen from English folklore who is mentioned in William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.[6]

Because the moon is small and dark, it was not seen in the heavily scrutinized images taken by Voyager 2 during its Uranus flyby in 1986. However, it is brighter than another moon, Perdita, which was discovered from Voyager's photos in 1997. This led scientists to re-examine the old photos again, and the satellite was finally found in the images.[8] Following its discovery, Mab was given the temporary designation S/2003 U 1.[7]

The size of Mab is not known exactly. If it is as dark as Puck, it is about 24.8±1.0 km in diameter.[10] On the other hand, if it has a relatively bright surface like the neighbouring moon Miranda, it would be smaller than Cupid and comparable to the smallest outer satellites.[8] Infrared observation published in 2023 suggest that Mab is most probably a 12-km body with a Miranda-like surface, rich in water ice; though not leaving out the possibility of it being a 24-km body with a Puck-like surface.[4]

Mab is heavily perturbed. The actual source for perturbation is still unclear, but is presumed to be one or more of the nearby orbiting moons.[8]

Mab orbits at the same distance from Uranus as the μ ring (formerly known as R/2003 U 1), a dusty ring discovered around the same time as Mab. The moon is nearly the optimal size for dust production, since larger moons can recollect the escaping dust and smaller moons have too small surface areas for supplying the ring via ring particle or meteoroid collisions.[11] No rings associated with Perdita and Cupid have been found, probably because Belinda limits the lifetimes of dust they generate.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Mab". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
  2. ^ Ćuk, Matija; French, Robert S.; Showalter, Mark R.; Tiscareno, Matthew S.; El Moutamid, Maryame (2022). "Cupid is not Doomed Yet: On the Stability of the Inner Moons of Uranus". The Astronomical Journal. 164 (2): 38. arXiv:2205.14272. Bibcode:2022AJ....164...38C. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ac745d.
  3. ^ French, Robert S.; Showalter, Mark R. (August 2012). "Cupid is Doomed: An Analysis of the Stability of the Inner Uranian Satellites". Icarus. 220 (2): 911–921. arXiv:1408.2543. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2012.06.031.
  4. ^ a b Molter, Edward M.; De Pater, Imke; Moeckel, Chris (2023). "Keck near-infrared detections of Mab and Perdita". Icarus. 405: 115697. arXiv:2307.13773. Bibcode:2023Icar..40515697M. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2023.115697. S2CID 259885759.
  5. ^ Sheppard, Scott S. "Uranus' Known Satellites". Carnegie Institution (Department of Terrestrial Magnetism). Retrieved 2011-11-02.((cite web)): CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ a b "Planet and Satellite Names and Discoverers". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology. July 21, 2006. Retrieved 6 August 2006.
  7. ^ a b Showalter, Mark R.; Lissauer, Jack J. (September 25, 2003). "S/2003 U 1 and S/2003 U 2". IAU Circular. 8209: 1. Bibcode:2003IAUC.8209....1S. ISSN 0081-0304. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
  8. ^ a b c d e Showalter, Mark R.; Lissauer, Jack J. (2006-02-17). "The Second Ring-Moon System of Uranus: Discovery and Dynamics". Science. 311 (5763): 973–977. Bibcode:2006Sci...311..973S. doi:10.1126/science.1122882. PMID 16373533. S2CID 13240973.
  9. ^ Ćuk, Matija; French, Robert S.; Showalter, Mark R.; Tiscareno, Matthew S.; Moutamid, Maryame El (2022-07-16). "Cupid is not Doomed Yet: On the Stability of the Inner Moons of Uranus". The Astronomical Journal. 164 (2): 38. arXiv:2205.14272. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ac745d. ISSN 1538-3881.
  10. ^ Showalter & Lissauer (2006),[8] as cited in Ćuk et al. (2022).[9]
  11. ^ Layton, Laura (December 28, 2005). "Uranus' second ring-moon system". Astronomy.com. Astronomy Magazine. Archived from the original on March 31, 2012. Retrieved 2014-11-22.

External links

Uranus
Moons of Uranus
Natural satellites of the Solar System
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