Oberon (moon)

Oberon is the farthest big moon of the planet Uranus. It is made of about half ice and half rock.^[1] With a mean radius of about 760 km, Oberon is the second biggest moon of Uranus's 27 moons. It orbits Uranus about every 13.4 days.^[2]

Image of Oberon obtained by Voyager 2 in 1986

It was found on January 11, 1787 by William Herschel,^[3] in the same year he found Titania. It was named after a Oberon, King of the Fairies, a character in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Oberon has several large impact craters where it has been hit by meteorites. These were photographed by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1986 as it flew passed.^[2] Scientists also believe there is a mountain that could be 20 km (12 mi) high on the moon.^[4]

Surface features

Craters on Oberon are named after characters in the plays of William Shakespeare.^[5]

Named surface features on Oberon^[6]

Feature	Named after	Type	Length (diameter), km	Coordinates
Mommur Chasma	Mommur, from French folklore	Chasma	537	16.3°S 323.5°E / -16.3; 323.5
Antony	Mark Antony	Crater	47	27.5°S 65.4°E / -27.5; 65.4
Caesar	Julius Caesar		76	26.6°S 61.1°E / -26.6; 61.1
Coriolanus	Coriolanus		120	11.4°S 345.2°E / -11.4; 345.2
Falstaff	Falstaff		124	22.1°S 19.0°E / -22.1; 19.0
Hamlet	Hamlet		206	46.1°S 44.4°E / -46.1; 44.4
Lear	King Lear		126	5.4°S 31.5°E / -5.4; 31.5
MacBeth	Macbeth		203	58.4°S 112.5°E / -58.4; 112.5
Othello	Othello		114	66.0°S 42.9°E / -66.0; 42.9
Romeo	Romeo		159	28.7°S 89.4°E / -28.7; 89.4

Other websites

• Information and photos of Oberon
• USGS: Oberon nomenclature