Umbriel
Umbriel
Moon of Uranus
Umbriel facts
- Orbits
- Uranus
- Distance from Uranus
- 266,000 km (10.5 Uranus-radii)
- Orbital period
- 4.1 days
- Diameter
- 1,169 km
- Mass
- 1.27 × 10²¹ kg
- Orbital inclination
- 0.13°
- Tidally locked
- Yes
- Discovered
- 1851, by William Lassell
Umbriel orbits Uranus
Watch Umbriel (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 Umbriel
Umbriel is the darkest of Uranus's five major moons, reflecting little sunlight from its old, uniformly cratered surface. Its one standout feature is Wunda, a bright ring on a crater floor whose origin is still unexplained.
- Named after a dusky sprite in Alexander Pope's poem The Rape of the Lock
- Discovered: 1851, by William Lassell
Umbriel: frequently asked questions
- What is Umbriel?
- Umbriel is the darkest of Uranus's five major moons, reflecting little sunlight from its old, uniformly cratered surface.
- What planet does Umbriel orbit?
- Umbriel orbits Uranus at an average distance of about 266,000 km, completing one lap every 4.1 days.
- How big is Umbriel?
- Umbriel has a diameter of about 1,169 km and a mass of roughly 1.27 × 10²¹ kg.
- Why is Umbriel famous?
- Umbriel's claim to fame: the darkest of Uranus's major moons, whose one bright feature is a mysterious ring called Wunda.
See Umbriel in motion
Back to Uranus, or open the full Solar System orrery →
Data from NASA/JPL and NSSDCA. Source.