By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
HellenicHellenic
  • Media
  • Travel
  • Property
  • Business
  • History
  • News
  • Food
  • Technology
Search
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: On This Day: January 11, 1787 – William Herschel discovers two moons of Uranus
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
Aa
HellenicHellenic
Aa
  • Media
  • Travel
  • Property
  • Business
  • History
  • News
  • Food
  • Technology
Search
  • Media
  • Travel
  • Property
  • Business
  • History
  • News
  • Food
  • Technology
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Hellenic > Blog > History > On This Day: January 11, 1787 – William Herschel discovers two moons of Uranus
History

On This Day: January 11, 1787 – William Herschel discovers two moons of Uranus

Hellenic
Last updated: 2025/01/13 at 1:31 PM
Hellenic
Share
4 Min Read
On This Day: January 11, 1787 – William Herschel discovers two moons of Uranus
SHARE

By 1781, the solar system known to scientists included six planets. On March 13 of this year, however, something changed: the British astronomer William Herschelwho had been born in Hanover Germanyobserved a celestial body in the constellation Gemini, which was faintly distinguishable and moving slowly. At first he thought it was cometbut eventually he realized that it was another one planetwhom he had originally named in the Latin language “George”, in honor of the British king.

This discovery earned him not only membership of the Royal Society but also the Copley Medal in November 1781. However, there were many astronomers from other countries who did not agree with the name given to the new planet. They themselves wanted the tradition to continue for the planets to have names derived from Greek mythology. With this logic, they proposed that the newly discovered planet should be named after Saturn’s father and Jupiter’s grandfather, i.e. Uranus. This was to be the name that eventually prevailed. In fact, it is worth noting that while the classical pattern of naming the planets was followed, this particular planet remains the only one for which the Greek version of its name is used in all languages ​​– and not the Latin, as is the case with the rest of the planets.

William Herschel’s discoveries were not limited here, however. About six years later, on January 11, 1787, he would discover both the largest moons of Uranus: the Titania (the first in size) and the Oberon (the second largest). Two new moons (Umbriel and Ariel) would be discovered in 1851 and the fifth (Miranda) in 1948. The remaining 23 moons of Uranus were discovered after 1985.

Uranus and its moons would continue to be largely shrouded in mystery until the last quarter of the 20th century.

Although astronomers managed to calculate that Uranus it takes about 84 years to complete one rotation around the Sun, due to its great distance, twice the distance between the Sun and Saturn, Uranus and its moons would continue to be largely shrouded in mystery until the last quarter of the 20th century. It wasn’t until March 10, 1977 that astronomers discovered five rings orbiting Uranus.

The most information about this particular planet and its moons would come about 200 years after their discovery, in 1986, when the spacecraft Voyager 2after a four-month stay, took more than 7,000 pictures, incomparably more detailed than those taken by telescopes on Earth. 11 new satellites were discovered as well as details about the planet’s complex ring system, its atmosphere, its strangely tilted magnetic field and its peculiar moons.

For example, regarding Herschel’s second discovery, Uranus’ largest moon, Titania, was shown to be geologically active. There was also a system of rift valleys – an indication of possible tectonic extension of Titania’s crust – while along the valley walls towards the Heliumdeposits of highly reflective material were observed, which may represent frost.

Column editor: Myrto Katsigera, Vassilis Minakakis, Antigoni-Despina Poimenidou, Athanasios Syroplakis

You Might Also Like

As of today: May 16, 1961-Park Jung-Hi Military Court in South Korea

90 years ago… 16-5-1935

As of today: May 17, 1814 – The Norway’s Constitution is signed

90 years ago… 17-5-1935

As of today: May 18, 1821 – The Battle of Bervena and Doliana

TAGGED: ASTRONOMY, day, discovers, Herschel, history, January, LIKE TODAY, moons, space, Sun, Uranus, William

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Hellenic January 13, 2025 January 13, 2025
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Copy Link Print
Share
Previous Article Missing are the two dangerous thugs who escaped from the prisons of Kassavetia Missing are the two dangerous thugs who escaped from the prisons of Kassavetia
Next Article From January 13, the winter sales start From January 13, the winter sales start
Leave a comment Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay Connected

235.3k Followers Like
69.1k Followers Follow
11.6k Followers Pin
56.4k Followers Follow
136k Subscribers Subscribe
4.4k Followers Follow
- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

Latest News

As of today: May 16, 1961-Park Jung-Hi Military Court in South Korea
As of today: May 16, 1961-Park Jung-Hi Military Court in South Korea
History May 23, 2025
Sofia Pavlidou's lawyer's arrest - Manos Papagiannis's trial - the actor's arrest was requested
Sofia Pavlidou’s lawyer’s arrest – Manos Papagiannis’s trial – the actor’s arrest was requested
News May 23, 2025
Sheillin Woodley's new film with a French signature is called "A Beautiful Journey"
Sheillin Woodley’s new film with a French signature is called “A Beautiful Journey”
Media May 23, 2025
Increased by 5.4% tourist traffic in the first quarter of 2025
Increased by 5.4% tourist traffic in the first quarter of 2025
Travel May 23, 2025
//

Welcome to Hellenic, your premier source for the latest Greek news and information, all delivered in English.

Quick Link

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Disclaimer

Company

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise with Us

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

HellenicHellenic
Follow US
Copyright ©️ 2023 Hellenic | All rights reserved.
Join Us!

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news, podcasts etc..

Zero spam, Unsubscribe at any time.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?