Belinda (moon)

Infobox Planet
name = Belinda


bgcolour = #ffc0c0
discovery = yes
discoverer = Stephen P. Synnott / "Voyager 2"
discovered = January 13, 1986
mean_orbit_radius = 75,255.613 ± 0.057 kmcite journal|last=Jacobson|first=R.A.|title=The Orbits of the Inner Uranian Satellites From Hubble Space Telescope and Voyager2 Observations|journal=The Astronomical Journal|url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1998AJ....115.1195J|year=1998|volume=115|pages=1195–1199|doi=10.1086/300263]
eccentricity = 0.00007 ± 0.000073
period = 0.623527470 ± 0.000000017 d
inclination = 0.03063 ± 0.028° (to Uranus' equator)
satellite_of = Uranus
physical_characteristics = yes
dimensions = 128 × 64 × 64 kmcite journal|last=Karkoschka|first=Erich|authorlink=Erich Karkoschka|title=Voyager's Eleventh Discovery of a Satellite of Uranus and Photometry and the First Size Measurements of Nine Satellites|journal=Icarus|volume=151|pages=69–77|year=2001| doi=10.1006/icar.2001.6597|url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2001Icar..151...69K]
mean_radius = 45 ± 8 km
surface_area = ~25,000 km²Calculated on the basis of other parameters]
volume = ~380,000 km³
mass = ~4.9e|17 kg
density = ~1.3 g/cm³ "assumed"
surface_grav = ~0.014 m/s²
escape_velocity = ~0.034 km/s
rotation = synchronous
axial_tilt = zero
albedo = 0.08 ± 0.01cite journal|last=Karkoschka|first=Erich|authorlink=Erich Karkoschka|title=Comprehensive Photometry of the Rings and 16 Satellites of Uranus with the Hubble Space Telescope|journal=Icarus|volume=151|pages=51–68|year=2001|doi=10.1006/icar.2001.6596| url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2001Icar..151...51K]
single_temperature = ~64 K

Belinda "(bə-lin'-də," IPAEng|bɨˈlɪndə) is an inner satellite of the planet Uranus. Belinda was discovered from the images taken by "Voyager 2" on 1986-01-13 and was given the temporary designation S/1986 U 5.cite web|last=Smith|first=B. A.|title=IAU Circular No. 4164|date=January 16 1986|url= http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iauc/04100/04164.html#Item1|accessdate = 2006-08-06] It is named after the heroine of Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock". It is also designated Uranus XIV.cite web|title=Planet and Satellite Names and Discoverers|work=Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature
publisher = USGS Astrogeology|date=July 21 2006|url=http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/append7.html|accessdate=2006-08-06]

Belinda belongs to the Portia Group of satellites, which also includes Bianca, Cressida, Desdemona, Portia, Juliet, Cupid, Rosalind and Perdita. These satellites have similar orbits and photometric properties. Other than its orbit, radius of 45 km and geometric albedo of 0.08 virtually nothing is known about it.

The Voyager 2 images show Belinda as an elongated object with its major axis pointing towards Uranus. The moon is very elongated, with its short axis 0.5 ± 0.1 times the long axis. Its surface is grey in color.

References

External links

* [http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Ura_Belinda Belinda Profile] by [http://solarsystem.nasa.gov NASA's Solar System Exploration]