Uranian Moons Prospero, Setebos and Stephano Were Discovered July 1999

Summary: Uranian moons Prospero, Setebos and Stephano were discovered July 1999 as third, fourth and fifth Uranian irregular satellite discoveries.

Uranian irregular moons Prospero, Setebos and Stephano were discovered July 18, 1999, via the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope at Mauna Kea Observatories (MKO) on the Big Island of Hawai'i: Litlok, IIVeaa (1Veertje), CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons

Uranian moons Prospero, Setebos and Stephano were discovered July 1999 as the third, fourth and fifth irregular satellite discoveries in the Uranian system.

Brian G. (Geoffrey) Marsden, director of the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams (CBAT), announced “the discovery of two probable new satellites of Uranus” in IAUC (International Astronomical Union Circular) no. 7230, dated July 27, 1999. Marsden assigned provisional designations of S/1999 U 1 and S/1999 U 2 to the two new Uranian irregular satellite discoveries.

Credit for the discoveries went to J.J. (John J. “JJ”) Kavelaars of McMaster University; B. (Brett) Gladman of Observatoire de la Cote d’Azur (OCA); M. (Matthew) Holman of Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA); and J.-M. (Jean-Marc) Petit and H. (Hans) Scholl of OCA. The discoveries were made from CCD (charged-couple detector) images obtained July 18, 1999, with the 3.5-meter Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope at Mauna Kea Observatories (MKO) on the Big Island of Hawai’i.

The discovery announcement provided six pairs of celestial coordinates over three dates for S/1999 U 1. The two pairs for July 18 found the irregular satellite July 18.51250 at right ascension 21 hours 14 minutes 55.58 seconds, declination minus 16 degrees 39 arcminutes 31.9 arcseconds and July 18.59355 at right ascension 21 hours 14 minutes 54.87 seconds, declination minus 16 degrees 39 arcminutes 35.1 arcseconds. Two pairs for July 19 placed S/1999 U 1 July 19.50227 at right ascension 21 hours 14 minutes 47.10 seconds, declination minus 16 degrees 40 arcminutes 12.5 arcseconds and July 19.57032 at right ascension 21 hours 14 minutes 46.47 seconds, declination minus 16 degrees 40 arcminutes 15.3 arcseconds. Two pairs for July 21 sited S/1999 U 1 July 21.46464 at right ascension 21 hours 14 minutes 29.75 seconds, declination minus 16 degrees 41 arcminutes 35.2 arcseconds and July 21.51919 at right ascension 21 hours 14 minutes 29.26 seconds, declination minus 16 degrees 41 arcminutes 47.5 arcseconds.

Six pairs of celestial coordinates for the same dates and times were also provided for S/1999 U 2. S/1999 U 2 was found July 18.51250 at right ascension 21 hours 13 minutes 38.33 seconds, declination minus 16 degrees 49 arcminutes 57.1 arcseconds and July 18.59355 at right ascension 21 hours 13 minutes 37.61 seconds, declination minus 16 degrees 50 arcminutes 00.6 arcseconds. For July 19, S/1999 U 2 was found July 19.50227 at right ascension 21 hours 13 minutes 29.54 seconds, declination minus 16 degrees 50 arcminutes 39.5 arcseconds and July 19.57032 at right ascension 21 hours 13 minutes 28.89 seconds, declination minus 16 degrees 50 arcminutes 42.2 arcseconds. For July 21, S/1999 U 2’s coordinates were July 21.46464 at right ascension 21 hours 13 minutes 11.76 seconds, declination minus 16 degrees 52 arcminutes 06.7 arcseconds and July 21.51919 at right ascension 21 hours 13 minutes 11.26 seconds, declination minus 16 degrees 52 arcminutes 09.3 arcseconds.

IAUC 7248, dated Sept. 4, 1999, added S/1999 U 3 as a third Uranian irregular satellite discovered via the July 18, 1999, CCD images. The discovery date’s two pairs of coordinates placed S/1999 U 3 July 18.52608 at right ascension 21 hours 12 minutes 55.18 seconds, declination minus 16 degrees 47 arcminutes 38.0 arcseconds and July 18.58036 at right ascension 21 hours 12 minutes 54.68 seconds, declination minus 16 degrees 47 arcminutes 40.2 arcseconds.

The takeaways from the July 1999 discoveries of Uranian moons Prospero, Setebos and Stephano are that four co-discoverers detected the three Uranian irregular satellites on frames obtained July 18 by the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope at the Big Island of Hawai’I’s Mauna Kea Observatories (MKO) and that the three satellite discoveries numbered as the third, fourth and fifth irregular satellite discoveries in the Uranian system.

The Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) captured images of three Uranian irregular satellites on July 18, 1999; northwest-looking view, toward Maui, of CFHT atop Mauna Kea, Big Island of Hawai'i; Wednesday, May 25, 2011, 20:04: Gordon W Myers, CC BY SA 4.0 International, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Uranian irregular moons Prospero, Setebos and Stephano were discovered July 18, 1999, via the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope at Mauna Kea Observatories (MKO) on the Big Island of Hawai'i: Litlok, IIVeaa , IIVeaa (1Veertje), CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CFHT-03.jpg

The Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) captured images of three Uranian irregular satellites on July 18, 1999; northwest-looking view, toward Maui, of CFHT atop Mauna Kea, Big Island of Hawai'i; Wednesday, May 25, 2011, 20:04: Gordon W Myers, CC BY SA 4.0 International, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CFW_Telescope.JPG

For further information:

Burns, Joseph A. “1. Some Background About Satellites.” Pages 1-38. In Joseph A. Burns and Mildred Shapley Matthews, eds. Satellites. Space Science Series. Tucson AZ: University of Arizona Press, Nov. 1, 1986.

Burns, Joseph A.; and Mildred Shapley Matthews, eds. Satellites. Space Science Series. Tucson AZ: University of Arizona Press, Nov. 1, 1986.

Gladman, B. (Brett); JJ (John J.) Kavelaars; M. (Matthew) Holman; J-M (Jean-Marc) Petit; H. (Hans) Scholl; P. (Philip) Nicholson; and J.A. (Joseph Arthur) Burns. “The Discovery of Uranus XIX, XX, and XXI.” Icarus, vol. 147, issue 1 (September 2000): 320-324.
Available via fdocuments @ https://fdocuments.in/document/the-discovery-of-uranus-xix-xx-and-xxi.html
Available via ScienceDirect @ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0019103500964637

Grav, Tommy; and Matthew J. Holman. “Photometry of Irregular Satellites of Uranus and Neptune.” The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 613 (Sept. 20, 2004): L77-L80.
Available @ https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/424997/pdf

Green, Daniel W.E. “Satellites of Uranus.” Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams > IAU Circular No. 7479. Aug. 21, 2000.
Available @ http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/07400/07479.html

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. ““Uranian System.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Planet and Satellite Names and Discoverers.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Page/Planets

Johnston, William Robert. “List of IAU Preliminary Designations of Natural Satellites.” Johnston’s Archive > Astronomy and Space.
Available @ http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/astro/moonlist.html

Karkoschka, Erich. “University of Arizona Researcher Discovers 18th Moon Orbiting Uranus.” University of Arizona News Service. May 18, 1999.
Available @ https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/text/uranus_sat_pr_19990518.txt

Levy, David H. Skywatching. Revised and updated. San Francisco CA: Fog City Press, 1994.

Marriner, Derdriu. “Caliban and Sycorax Orbit With Respectively Low and High Eccentricity.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, July 20, 2011.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2011/07/caliban-and-sycorax-orbit-with.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Nine Irregular Uranian Moons Were Discovered Between 1997 and 2003.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, July 6, 2011.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2011/07/nine-irregular-uranian-moons-were.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Uranian Irregular Moons Caliban and Sycorax Were Discovered Sept. 6, 1997.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, July 13, 2011.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2011/07/uranian-irregular-moons-caliban-and.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “William Herschel Discovered First Two Uranian Moons on Jan. 11, 1787.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2011/01/william-herschel-discovered-first-two.html

Marsden, Brian G. “Probable New Satellites of Uranus.” Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams > IAU Circular No. 7230. July 27, 1999.
Available @ http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/07200/07230.html

Marsden, Brian G. "Probable New Satellites of Uranus." Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams > IAU Circular No. 7248. Sept. 4, 1999.
Available @ http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/07200/07248.html

Marsden, Brian G. “S/1999 U 1.” Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams > IAU Circular No. 7450. July 8, 2000.
Available @ http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/07300/07385.html

Marsden, Brian G. “S/1999 U 1, S/1999 U 2 and S/1999 U 3.” Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams > IAU Circular No. 7385. March 24, 2000.
Available @ http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/07300/07385.html

Marsden, Brian G. “S/1999 U 2.” Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams > IAU Circular No. 7473. Aug. 5, 2000.
Available @ http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/07400/07473.html

Marsden, Brian G. “S/1999 U 3.” Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams > IAU Circular No. 7447. July 3, 2000.
Available @ http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/07400/07473.html

Minor Planet Center. “Guide to Minor Body Astrometry.” Minor Planet Center > IAU > Information.
Available @ https://minorplanetcenter.net/iau/info/Astrometry.html

Minor Planet Center. “Observations of Natural Satellites: S/1999 U 1 – S/1999 U 3.” Minor Planet Circular 38967. March 20, 2000.
Available @ https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/2000/MPC_20000320.pdf

Minor Planet Center. “Orbital Elements: S/1999 U 1 – S/1999 U 3.” Minor Planet Circular 39024. March 20, 2000.
Available @ https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/2000/MPC_20000320.pdf

Minor Planet Center. “S/1999 U 1.” Minor Planet Circular 40990. July 26, 2000.
Available @ https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/2000/MPC_20000726.pdf

Minor Planet Center. “S/19999 U 3.” Minor Planet Circular 40990. July 26, 2000.
Available @ https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/2000/MPC_20000726.pdf

Moore, Patrick, Sir. Philip’s Atlas of the Universe. Revised edition. London UK: Philip’s, 2005.

Nemiroff, Robert; and Jerry Bonnell. “Irregular Moons Discovered Around Uranus.” NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD). Nov. 3, 1997.
Available @ https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap971103.html

Rabinowitz, Harold; and Suzanne Vogel, eds. The Manual of Scientific Style: A Guide for Authors, Editors, and Researchers. First edition. Burlington MA; San Diego CA; London, UK: Academic Press, 2009.

Rickman, H. (Hans), ed. XXIV General Assembly Transactions of the IAU Vol. XXIV B Proceedings of the 24th General Assembly, Manchester UK, August 7-18, 2000. San Francisco CA: Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP), Jan. 1, 2001.
Available @ https://www.iau.org/publications/iau/transactions_b/

Schmude, Richard, Jr. “Captured Objects.” Pages 58-59. “Chapter 1 The Uranus System.” Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and How to Observe Them: 1-59. Astronomers’ Observing Guides. New York NY: Springer Science + Business Media LLC, 2008.
Available via ePDF @ https://epdf.pub/uranus-neptune-and-pluto-and-how-to-observe-them-astronomers-observing-guides.html

Sheppard, Scott S.; David Jewitt; and Jan Kleyna. “An Ultradeep Survey for Irregular Satellites of Uranus: Limits to Completeness.” The Astronomical Journal, vol. 129, no. 1 (January 2005): 518-525.
Available via IOPscience @ https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/426329/pdf

Williams, David R. (Richard), Dr. “Uranus Fact Sheet.” NASA GSFC (Goddard Space Flight Center) NSSDC (NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive) > Solar System Exploration > Planetary Science > Uranus.
Available @ https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/uranusfact.html

Williams David R. (Richard), Dr. “Uranian Satellite Fact Sheet.” NASA GSFC (Goddard Space Flight Center) NSSDC (NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive) > Solar System Exploration > Planetary Science > Uranus.
Available @ https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/uraniansatfact.html