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Writer's pictureMoiya McTier

Astronomy Fun Fact #15

All but two of Uranus' moons are named after characters from Shakespeare's plays. The other two, Umbriel and Ariel, are named after characters from Alexander Pope poems. It's unclear how this tradition started, but now it's the official naming convention accepted by the International Astronomical Union.

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Moiya McTier
Moiya McTier
Apr 30, 2019

True. It seems Ariel was chosen as a name because it overlaps with Shakespeare and Pope

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jcrocket13
Apr 29, 2019

You sure, Moi? Ariel is a character in The Tempest.

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