Bianca

Bianca (pronounced /biˈɑːŋkə/ bee-AHNG-kə) is an inner satellite of Uranus. It was discovered from the images taken by Voyager 2 on January 23, 1986 and was given the temporary designation S/1986 U 9.[7] It was named after the sister of Katherine in Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew. Originally, it was to be called Peaseblossom after a fairy in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, but due to a nomenclature conflict between the USA and the USSR the name Bianca was quietly chosen by the IAU a few years after the moon's discovery. It is also designated Uranus VIII.[8].

Bianca belongs to Portia Group of satellites, which also includes Cressida, Desdemona, Juliet, Portia, Rosalind, Cupid, Belinda and Perdita.[6] These satellites have similar orbits and photometric properties.[6] Other than its orbit,[1] radius of 27 km,[2] and geometric albedo of 0.08[6] virtually nothing is known about it.

At the Voyager 2 images Bianca appears as an elongated object, the major axis pointing towards Uranus. The ratio of axises of the Bianca's prolate spheroid is 0.7 ± 0.2.[2] Its surface is grey in color.[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Jacobson, R.A. (1998). "The Orbits of the Inner Uranian Satellites From Hubble Space Telescope and Voyager 2 Observations". The Astronomical Journal 115: 1195–1199. doi:10.1086/300263. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1998AJ....115.1195J. edit
2. ^ a b c d e f g Karkoschka, Erich (2001). "Voyager's Eleventh Discovery of a Satellite of Uranus and Photometry and the First Size Measurements of Nine Satellites". Icarus 151: 69–77. doi:10.1006/icar.2001.6597. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2001Icar..151...69K. edit
3. ^ a b c "Planetary Satellite Physical Parameters". JPL (Solar System Dynamics). 2008-10-24. http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?sat_phys_par. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
4. ^ a b Williams, Dr. David R. (2007-11-23). "Uranian Satellite Fact Sheet". NASA (National Space Science Data Center). http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/uraniansatfact.html. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
5. ^ a b c d e f Calculated on the basis of other parameters
6. ^ a b c d Karkoschka, Erich (2001). "Comprehensive Photometry of the Rings and 16 Satellites of Uranus with the Hubble Space Telescope". Icarus 151: 51–68. doi:10.1006/icar.2001.6596. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2001Icar..151...51K. edit
7. ^ Smith, B. A. (1986-01-27). "IAU Circular No. 4168". http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iauc/04100/04168.html#item1. Retrieved 2006-08-06.
8. ^ "Planet and Satellite Names and Discoverers". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology. 2006-07-21. http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/append7.html. Retrieved 2006-08-06.

External links

* Bianca Profile by NASA's Solar System Exploration
* Uranus' Known Satellites (by Scott S. Sheppard)

Moons of Uranus

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