Which Shakespeare character should be cemented among the stars? Astronomers are naming Uranus’ new moon after a Shakespeare character!
The 27 moons of Uranus are named after literary figures, and the majority are Shakespeare characters. With astronomers’ recent discovery of a 28th moon, the theme must be upheld! As of now, this new moon is not named – the perfect task for Shakespeare and astronomy lovers alike.
So far, the following characters already have moons named after them:
- Titania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
- Oberon (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
- Miranda (The Tempest)
- Cordelia (King Lear)
- Ophelia (Hamlet)
- Bianca (Taming of the Shrew)
- Cressida (Troilus and Cressida)
- Desdemona (Othello)
- Juliet (Romeo and Juliet)
- Portia (The Merchant of Venice)
- Rosalind (As You Like It)
- Puck (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
- Caliban (The Tempest)
- Sycorax (The Tempest)
- Prospero (The Tempest)
- Setebos (The Tempest)
- Stephano (The Tempest)
- Trinculo (The Tempest)
- Francisco (The Tempest)
- Margaret (Richard III)
- Ferdinand (The Tempest)
- Pedita (The Winter’s Tale)
- Mab (Romeo and Juliet)
- Cupid (Much Ado About Nothing)
- Ariel* (Named after the character in The Rape of the Lock, but also a Tempest character!)
This new moon of Uranus, called S/2023 U1, is potentially the smallest moon and only ~5 miles in diameter. Take a look at the picture. Does this spark any naming inspiration?
Image credit: Scott Sheppard / Carnegie Institute for Science via CBS News