Aster › Space program › Umbriel
Umbriel
Position on the route: 66/130 · level needed 186 · journey (Mk0 engine) 38.1 h
By the numbers
| Diameter | 1,169 km |
|---|---|
| Year | 4.14 days |
| Distance | 266,000 km |
| Found | 1851, Lassell |
The story
Umbriel is the darkest of Uranus’s large moons: its albedo is only 16 %. William Lassell found it in 1851, on the same night as Ariel. The surface is old and full of craters; the bright ring on the floor of the crater Wunda may be fresh ice or carbon-dioxide deposits.
Only Voyager 2 (1986) saw it up close; why the surface is so dark is still unknown. It is on the target list for a future Uranus orbiter.
Missions
- Voyager 2 (1986): the only close flyby
- Proposed Uranus mission: detailed mapping
Colony note
Dark and cold; full of ice and carbon. A distant observation base.
What probes bring back
- The darkest of Uranus’s big moons (albedo 16 %); a bright ring lies on the floor of the crater Wunda.
- Found by Lassell in 1851; 1,169 km across; only Voyager 2 saw it up close.