Trinculo (moon)
Trinculo (circled) imaged by the Very Large Telescope on 3 September 2002. The bright glare on the right is from Uranus, overexposed beyond the frame. | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | |
| Discovery date | August 13, 2001 (confirmed in 2002) |
| Designations | |
Designation | Uranus XXI |
| Pronunciation | /ˈtrɪŋkjʊloʊ/ |
| Adjectives | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
Mean orbit radius | 8,504,000 km |
| Eccentricity | 0.2200 |
| 749.24 d | |
| Inclination | 167° (to the ecliptic) |
| Satellite of | Uranus |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 9 km (estimate) | |
| ~1,000 km2 (estimate) | |
| Volume | ~3,000 km3 (estimate) |
| Mass | ~3.9×1015 kg (estimate) |
Mean density | ~1.3 g/cm3 (assumed) |
| ~0.0021 m/s2 (estimate) | |
| ~0.007 km/s (estimate) | |
| ? | |
| ? | |
| Albedo | 0.04 (assumed) |
| Temperature | ~65 K (estimate) |
Trinculo /ˈtrɪŋkjʊloʊ/ is a retrograde irregular satellite of Uranus. It was discovered by a group of astronomers led by Holman, et al. on 13 August 2001, and given the temporary designation S/2001 U 1.
Confirmed as Uranus XXI, it was named after the drunken jester Trinculo in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest. Trinculo is the second smallest of Uranus's 28 moons after Ferdinand and is approximately only 18 km wide.