Cordelia (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/cordelia-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 Cordelia (moon)?Richard J. Terrile
2. What is the orbital designation?Uranus V
3. What is the mean orbital radius?49,752 km
4. What is Cordelia and how big is it?Cordelia is a small rocky moon that orbits the planet Uranus. It is only about 8 kilometers (5 miles) wide, which is smaller than many asteroids.
5. Why does Cordelia look like a potato?Cordelia looks like a potato because its gravity is too weak to pull it into a round shape. Its irregular, pockmarked surface shows it has never become spherical.

Hydrostatic Equilibrium: The balance between gravity and internal pressure that forms spherical celestial bodies.
Tidal Forces: Gravitational forces exerted by a celestial body on another, causing stretching or compression.
Kepler's Third Law: A law describing the relationship between a celestial body's orbital period and its distance from the body it orbits.