Ariel
Ariel
Moon of Uranus
Ariel facts
- Orbits
- Uranus
- Distance from Uranus
- 190,900 km (7.5 Uranus-radii)
- Orbital period
- 2.5 days
- Diameter
- 1,158 km
- Mass
- 1.25 × 10²¹ kg
- Orbital inclination
- 0.04°
- Tidally locked
- Yes
- Discovered
- 1851, by William Lassell
Ariel orbits Uranus
Watch Ariel (highlighted) circle Uranus. Press play; the moons run at their real relative speeds.
Relative sizes and spacing are compressed; orbits shown coplanar. Click a moon for its page.
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About Ariel
Ariel is the brightest of Uranus's moons and looks the most geologically young, its surface reshaped by broad canyons and what appear to be flows of icy material. That relatively fresh terrain hints at past internal heating.
- Named after a sky spirit in Shakespeare's The Tempest and in Pope's poem
- Discovered: 1851, by William Lassell
Ariel: frequently asked questions
- What is Ariel?
- Ariel is the brightest of Uranus's moons and looks the most geologically young, its surface reshaped by broad canyons and what appear to be flows of icy material.
- What planet does Ariel orbit?
- Ariel orbits Uranus at an average distance of about 190,900 km, completing one lap every 2.5 days.
- How big is Ariel?
- Ariel has a diameter of about 1,158 km and a mass of roughly 1.25 × 10²¹ kg.
- Why is Ariel famous?
- Ariel's claim to fame: the brightest and geologically youngest-looking of Uranus's moons, cut by extensive canyons and flows.
See Ariel in motion
Back to Uranus, or open the full Solar System orrery →
Data from NASA/JPL and NSSDCA. Source.