Bright patches on Ariel
Distinct bright patches are visible on Ariel, the brightest of Uranus' five largest satellites. Voyager 2 obtained this image Jan. 22, 1986, from a distance of 2.52 million kilometers (1.56 million miles). The clear-filter image, obtained with the narrow-angle camera, shows a resolution of 47 km (29 miles). Ariel is about 1,300 km (800 mi) in diameter. This image shows several distinct bright areas that reflect nearly 45 percent of the incident sunlight; on average, the satellite displays a reflectivity of about 25-30 percent. The bright areas are probably fresh water ice, perhaps excavated by impacts. The south pole of Ariel is slightly off center of the disk in this view. Voyager 2 will obtain its best views of the satellite on Jan. 24, at a closest-approach distance of 127,000 km (79,000 mi). The Voyager project is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
|
Image details
ID#:
PIA01351
Date added:
1998-12-05
Target:
Ariel
Mission:
Voyager
Spacecraft:
Voyager 2
Instruments:
Imaging Science Subsystem - Narrow Angle
Size:
1275 x 1275 pixels (width x height)
Rating:
Views:
2,336
Full-Res TIFF:
PIA01351.tif (0.05 MB)
Full-Res JPG:
PIA01351.jpg (0.03 MB)
Image credit:
NASA/JPL
|
 |

|
-
Miranda's Geologic History...
Added January 29, 1996
South Polar View of Miranda
Added October 30, 1998
Rings of Uranus
Added June 30, 1999
-
Hubble Captures Detailed I...
Added August 2, 1998
Uranus Rings and Two Moons
Added June 19, 1999
Titania High-Resolution Co...
Added January 29, 1996
-
Uranus - Family Portrait
Added June 22, 1999
Hubble Tracks Clouds on Ur...
Added May 21, 1999
Miranda High Resolution of...
Added January 29, 1996
|
-
Topography of Vesta's Surf...
Added August 26, 2011
Crater Rim Offset 10 kilom...
Added January 15, 2000
Where Kepler Sees
Added April 16, 2009
-
Handle-shaped Prominence
Added February 17, 2001
Storm Tail in False Color
Added November 17, 2011
Star Formation in Henize 206
Added March 8, 2004
-
Algeria
Added September 4, 2008
Apparent Brightness and To...
Added February 23, 2012
Crater Chains
Added March 6, 2003
|
|
 |
 |
|