As we study our solar system, we become overwhelmed with the vastness of the universe. There are so many exciting facts that we can learn and explore. Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun, with it has 27 moons, one of the largest being Umbriel, which is also one of the darkest moons of Uranus. Uranus is a gas giant that rotates around the Sun on its side. Maybe, as you look at these 10 facts about Umbriel, you will decide to study the other moons of Uranus. Who knows what interesting and exciting facts you will learn? Explore and learn more about your universe.

Fact 1: Umbriel was discovered on October 24, 1851, by English astronomer, William Lassell who was searching the skies through his telescope. It was not until 1986 that we were able to learn any more about this moon of Uranus.

Fact 2: Umbriel gets its name from the writings of Alexander Pope, an English poet, who wrote ‘œRape of the Locks’. It is named for an evil spirit in Pope’s poem.

Fact 3: Umbriel is a moon of Uranus that is composed of half ice and half rock.

Fact 4: Umbriel is one of five satellites of Uranus and a bright ring near its equator is called the Fluorescent Cheerio’ or ‘œ Wunda’.  Exactly what this bright ring represents is not known, but it is believed that the ring is the bottom of a crater. The brightness of the crater is believed to have been caused by recent impacts of meteors that uncovered brighter parts of the satellite beneath the rocky surface.

Fact 5: Umbriel is the 13th moon of Uranus and it is the third largest of this planet’s moon. All of the knowledge we have about this planet was provided to us by the Voyager 2, when it took pictures of the planet in 1986.

Fact 6: Umbriel has no magnetic field and no atmosphere that scientists know about at this time.

Fact 7: The crater named ‘œWunda’, is 25 miles across. It is not really known what caused this crater or exactly why it has the bright center. This is an interesting fact that scientists would like to know more about.

Fact 8: Umbriel’s north and south poles each spend 42 years in daylight and 42 years in darkness because of the fact that Uranus spins on its side, causing extreme seasonal changes.

Fact 9: Umbriel is the second most cratered moon of Uranus and it is the darkest moon belonging to Uranus.

Fact 10: Umbriel is locked to Uranus the same as Earth’s moon is locked to Earth, via the ocean tides. It is also the least geologically active moon of Uranus.