Ariel (moon)
| Discovery | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
