ForumIAS LATEST
- SFG FRC 2027 | Program starts from 15th Dec. 2026 | Admissions open for Tranche-1 Entrance Test till 25th Oct. 2026 Click Here to know more →
- Prelims Test Series (PTS) for Prelims 2027 starts 11th Oct. 2026 Click Here to know more →
- [Pre-order] Ethics Redbook 3rd Edition: Delivery starts from 21st October onwards Click Here to Read More →
- 21 Sept. | GS Advance Program (GSAP) for UPSC 2027 Mains starts from 11th Oct. Click Here to Read More →
News: October 24 marks the discovery anniversary of Ariel and Umbriel, two major inner moons of Uranus, discovered in 1851.
About Ariel and Umbriel
- Ariel and Umbriel are two of the major inner moons of Uranus, which had 29 officially recognised moons as of August 2026.
- Discovery: British astronomer William Lassell discovered both moons on October 24, 1851.
- Naming:
- Ariel: It is the name for a character in both Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and Alexander Pope’s poem “The Rape of the Lock.”
- Umbriel: It is named for a malevolent spirit in English poet Alexander Pope’s 18th century poem “Rape of the Lock.”
- Key Features
- Ariel:
- Size: Ariel is the fourth-largest moon of Uranus.
- Composition: It mainly consists of roughly equal amounts of water ice and silicate rock.
- Carbon dioxide has also been detected.
- Surface: It has the brightest and youngest-looking surface among Uranus’ five largest moons.
- Orbit: Like Earth’s Moon, Ariel keeps the same face towards Uranus as it orbits the planet.
- Umbriel:
- Size: It is the third-largest moon of Uranus.
- Surface: It is the darkest of Uranus’ five major moons and has many old, large craters.
- Reflectivity: It reflects only 16% of the light striking its surface.
- Bright Ring: It has a mysterious bright ring about 140 km in diameter on its dark surface.
- Ariel:
