Sycorax
Also known as Uranus XVII, S/1997 U 2
moon of Uranus
Key facts
- Discovered by
- Philip D. Nicholson Brett J. Gladman Joseph A. Burns John J. Kavelaars
- Discovery site
- Hale Telescope at Palomar Obs.
- Discovery date
- 6 September 1997
- Designation
- Uranus XVII
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ s ɪ k ɒ r æ k s /
- Named after
- Sycorax
- Alternative names
- S/1997 U 2
- Adjectives
- Sycoraxian / s ɪ k ɒ ˈ r æ k s i ə n /
- Observation arc
- 32.37 yr (11,815 d )
- Earliest precovery date
- 2 June 1984
- Semi major axis
- 12,193,230 km (0.0815067 AU)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 3.52 yr (1,286.28 d)
Article
Sycorax /ˈsɪkɒræks/ is the largest irregular satellite of Uranus, with a diameter of approximately 157 km. It was discovered on 6 September 1997 on the Hale Telescope in California. Sycorax's orbit is retrograde, irregular, and much more distant than that of Oberon, the furthest of Uranus's regular moons. It has been hypothesized that Sycorax is a captured object, as opposed to one that formed with Uranus.
Discovery and Naming