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Astronomy Fun Fact #15

  • Writer: Moiya McTier
    Moiya McTier
  • Apr 29, 2019
  • 1 min read

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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2 commentaires

Moiya McTier
Moiya McTier
30 avr. 2019

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

J'aime
jcrocket13
29 avr. 2019

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

J'aime
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