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Oberon (moon) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Voyager 2 picture of Oberon
Image of Oberon obtained by Voyager 2 in 1986

Oberon is the farthest big moon of the planet Uranus. It is made of about half ice and half rock. With a mean radius of about 760 km, Oberon is the second biggest moon of Uranus's 27 moons. It orbits Uranus about every 13.4 days.

It was found on January 11, 1787 by William Herschel, in the same year he found Titania. It was named after a Oberon, King of the Fairies, a character in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Oberon has several large impact craters where it has been hit by meteorites. These were photographed by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1986 as it flew passed. Scientists also believe there is a mountain that could be 20 km (12 mi) high on the moon.

Surface features

Craters on Oberon are named after characters in the plays of William Shakespeare.

Named surface features on Oberon
Feature Named after Type Length (diameter), km Coordinates
Mommur Chasma Mommur, from French folklore Chasma 537 16°18′S 323°30′E / 16.3°S 323.5°E / -16.3; 323.5
Antony Mark Antony Crater 47 27°30′S 65°24′E / 27.5°S 65.4°E / -27.5; 65.4
Caesar Julius Caesar 76 26°36′S 61°06′E / 26.6°S 61.1°E / -26.6; 61.1
Coriolanus Coriolanus 120 11°24′S 345°12′E / 11.4°S 345.2°E / -11.4; 345.2
Falstaff Falstaff 124 22°06′S 19°00′E / 22.1°S 19.0°E / -22.1; 19.0
Hamlet Hamlet 206 46°06′S 44°24′E / 46.1°S 44.4°E / -46.1; 44.4
Lear King Lear 126 5°24′S 31°30′E / 5.4°S 31.5°E / -5.4; 31.5
MacBeth Macbeth 203 58°24′S 112°30′E / 58.4°S 112.5°E / -58.4; 112.5
Othello Othello 114 66°00′S 42°54′E / 66.0°S 42.9°E / -66.0; 42.9
Romeo Romeo 159 28°42′S 89°24′E / 28.7°S 89.4°E / -28.7; 89.4


Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Oberón (satélite) para niños

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