Cupid (moon)

Encyclopedia : C : CU : CUP : Cupid (moon)

Cupid
Discovery
Discovered by Mark R. Showalter
and Jack J. Lissauer
Discovered in August 25, 2003
Orbital characteristics
Semi-major axis 74,392 km
Eccentricity 0.0013
Orbital period 0.618 d
Inclination 0.1° (to Uranus' equator)
Is a satellite of Uranus
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter ~18 km (estimate)
Surface area ~1,000 km² (estimate)
Volume ~3,000 km³ (estimate)
Mass kg (estimate)
Mean density ~1.3 g/cm³ (estimate)
Surface gravity ~0.0031 m/s² (estimate)
Escape velocity ~0.0076 km/s (estimate)
Rotation period synchronous (assumed)
Axial tilt zero (assumed)
Albedo 0.07 (assumed)
Surface temp.
min mean max
~64 K (estimate)

Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa
Cupid (kew'-pid, IPA /ˈkjuːpɪd/) is a natural satellite of Uranus. It was discovered by Mark Showalter, et al. in 2003 using the Hubble Space Telescope. It was named after a character in William Shakespeare's play Timon of Athens. It should not be confused with the asteroid 763 Cupido.

It was too dark and small for the Voyager 2 probe to detect it during its Uranus flyby.

Because Cupid's orbit differs from Belinda's in orbital radius by only 500 kilometers, this satellite's orbit may be unstable [link].

Following its discovery, Cupid was given the temporary designation of S/2003 U 2. It is also designated Uranus XXVII.

External links

[Hubble Uncovers Smallest Moons Yet Seen Around Uranus] – Hubble Space Telescope news release (2003-09-25)

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