• Uranus’ largest moon • 788.9 km across; less than half the size of Earth’s moon across • 436,000 km from Uranus • Titania is inside Uranus’ magnetosphere. Magnetospheric plasma hits the back side of the moon. • The front side of the moon seems to have more water ice. Could have to do with Uranus’ magnetosphere
Presentation by: Sarah Arthurs (ASTR101 with Professor Mike Chu, Fall 2014) References: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranus#Moons http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titania_(moon)
Interesting Facts
• Named after the queen of fairies from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Nights Dream • The queen of fairies is said as “Tie-tawn-ya”. The moon is usually said as “Tie-tane-ya”.
References: http://www.kidsastronomy.com/uranus/moons.htm en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titania_(moon) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titania Interesting Facts (Cont.)
• Not a lot is known about Titania. Voyager 2 went on a mission to Uranus and it’s system and could only see about 40% of Titania. • Titania was experiencing its winter solstice so the northern hemisphere could not be seen.
References: www.brighthub.com/science/space/articles/123123.aspx en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_2
Motion • Titania has a synchronous orbit, which means it takes the same time for it to orbit once as for it to rotate once. The same side always faces Uranus. • It’s orbit and rotation take 8.7 days. • Uranus’ axis is nearly completely on its side, so its moons, including Titania, actually orbit over the planet. • The Northern and Southern hemisphere of Titania each spend 42 years in darkness (the poles in absolute darkness). • Takes 84 years to complete an orbit around the sun with Uranus. References: http://www.universetoday.com/56048/titania/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titania_(moon) www.planetsedu.com/moon/titania/ www.brighthub.com/science/space/articles/123123.aspx en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranus Physical Characteristics
• About half ice water and half other materials such as rock • Three main features: craters, canyons, and scarps (like cliffs) • Not as heavily cratered as other moons, so it is younger • Has a rocky core, about 58% of Titania’s mass, and an icy mantle, about 32% of Titania’s mass • Its surface experienced cracking later in its life due to its interior cooling after its exterior. While the exterior was cool, the interior was still heating up and expanding from radioactive decay.
References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titania_(moon) Physical Characteristics (Cont.)
• Has cryovolcanoes (also known as ice volcanoes). Spews stuff like water, ammonia, and/or methane; sometimes in vapor form. • www.crystalinks.com/cryovolcano.html (image)
References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryovolcano www.crystalinks.com/cryovolcano.html Landmarks
• Messina Chasma – largest known canyon. May have formed during the interior’s expansion. • Rousillon Rupes – similar to Messina Chasma, also probably formed during the interior’s expansion • Ursula (crater) – only known crater with a pit in the center • Gertrude (crater) – largest known crater
References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messina_Chasma http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titania_(moon)
Titania: Points of Interest
• The Uranian system has a lot of unique, interesting factors • Uranian system’s objects are named after William Shakespeare’s characters or Alexander Pope. • Uranus is at a more extreme tilt than any other planet in the Milky Way galaxy; Titania orbits up, over, and under.
References: www.universetoday.com/18855/uranus/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titania_(moon) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranus