Portia (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/portia-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 Portia (moon)?Voyager 2
2. What is the orbital radius?69,800 km (43,400 mi)
3. What is the orbital period?13.5 hours
4. What is Portia and where does it orbit?Portia is a tiny moon that orbits the planet Uranus, staying very close to the planet’s center.
5. How big is Portia compared to places on Earth?Portia is about 135 kilometers wide, which is smaller than many cities on Earth.

Hydrostatic Equilibrium: The balance between gravity and internal pressure that makes a celestial body spherical.
Albedo: The measure of how much light a surface reflects; a low albedo means it's dark.
Roche Limit: The minimum distance at which a celestial body held together by its own gravity will disintegrate due to a second celestial body's tidal forces.