Are all of Uranus moons named after Shakespeare?

SHEIR: There are 27 known moons of Uranus. All but two are named after characters from Shakespeare. There’s Ophelia, there’s Sycorax and Desdemona, there’s one called Perdita, and on and on.

Who are the moons named after?

For those moons have been known for a long time (such as the Galilean moons of Jupiter), the names were assigned from mythological characters. For example, the moons of Jupiter were named for characters who had roles in the life of Zeus (the Greek mythology counterpart of the Roman God Jupiter).

What is the history of Uranus’s name?

Ultimately, German astronomer Johann Elert Bode (whose observations helped to establish the new object as a planet) named Uranus after an ancient Greek god of the sky. Bode argued that as Saturn was the father of Jupiter, the new planet should be named for the father of Saturn.

Which moon of Uranus is named after a fairy king?

Oberon
The first two moons called Titania and Oberon, after the king and queen of the fairies in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,”were discovered by William Herschel in 1787.

How are the moons of Uranus connected to Shakespeare?

All of Uranus’ moons are named after characters from the works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope—which could give us a clue as to the final name choice for the mission (“Shakespeare Orbiter”, anyone?).

Why Earth is not named after a god?

All of the planets, except for Earth, were named after Greek and Roman gods and godesses. The name Earth is an English/German name which simply means the ground. It comes from the Old English words ‘eor(th)e’ and ‘ertha’.

What planet has 62 moons?

Saturn’s
Saturn’s moons range in size from larger than the planet Mercury — the giant moon Titan — to as small as a sports arena. The moons shape, contribute and also collect material from Saturn’s rings and magnetosphere.

What does Uranus mean in Greek?

the personification of heaven
Uranus, in Greek mythology, the personification of heaven.

How is Uranus really pronounced?

The standard way to pronounce Uranus among astronomers is to put the emphasis on the first syllable “ur” and then say the second part “unus”. This is the standard literary pronunciation. The more common way people have pronounced it is u-ra-nus, with the “ra” sounded like “ray”.