New Satellite of Uranus Discovered (S/2001 U2)

http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/~sheppard/...ranus2003.html

New Satellite of Uranus S/2001 U2
University of Hawaii
October 1, 2003

[Image]

Figure 1: Discovery images of the newly found Uranus satellite S/2001 U2
showing its motion relative to background stars and galaxies. Click on the
image to learn more.

Scott S. Sheppard and David Jewitt at the University of Hawaii discovered
the satellite on images obtained from the Subaru 8.3m telescope atop Mauna
Kea in Hawaii on August 29, 2003. Further observations by the Hawaii team
allowed Brian Marsden at the Minor Planet Center to link the object to
independent discovery observations obtained in 2001 by a group lead by Matt
Holman and JJ Kavelaars. The 2001 observations were not enough to determine
if the object was a satellite of Uranus and no reliable orbit was found. It
was then lost until discovery in 2003 by the Hawaii team.

The new Uranus satellite S/2001 U2 was announced by the International
Astronomical Union at the beginning of October. The new satellite is about
12 kilometers in diameter and has an orbital period of about 8 years. Uranus
now has 25 known satellites of which 7 have irregular orbits.