Caliban (moon)

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/caliban-moon

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who discovered Caliban (moon)?February 21, 1997
2. What is the diameter?Approximately 72 kilometers
3. What is the semi-major axis?7.98 million kilometers from Uranus
4. What is Caliban?Caliban is a small, irregular moon that orbits the planet Uranus. It is about 72 kilometers wide and looks very dark because it has little light reflecting off its surface.
5. Why does Caliban spin like a top?Caliban's orbit is tilted a lot—about 140 degrees—so it looks like it is spinning on its side when it goes around Uranus.

Irregular Satellite: A moon with a distant, inclined, and often retrograde orbit, typically captured.
Retrograde Orbit: An orbit in the opposite direction of the primary body's rotation.
Orbital Inclination: The angle between a satellite's orbital plane and a reference plane (e.g., planet's equator).
Semi-major Axis: The average distance of a satellite from its primary body in an elliptical orbit.