Trinculo (moon)

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)

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]

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' 27 moons after Ferdinand and is approximately only 18 km wide.

Animation of Trinculo's orbit around Uranus.
   Uranus  ·    Sycorax ·    Francisco  ·    Caliban  ·    Stephano  ·    Trinculo
  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference IAUC 7980 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference usgs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference moons2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  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 Cite error: The named reference JPL was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Sheppard et al. 2005 radius/albedo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).