The landing of the Mars probe last week reminded me of the Bard’s own
contribution to our Solar System – the moons of Uranus.
The first moons ‘discovered’ were named by John Herschal, whose father
first discovered the planet itself. Instead of using names from mythology
Herschal named them after Shakespearean characters Oberon and Titania and the spirits
Ariel and Umbriel from Alexander Pope’s ‘Rape of the Lock’.
In total Uranius has 27 moons and all are named for characters from either Pope or Shakespeare.
In total Uranius has 27 moons and all are named for characters from either Pope or Shakespeare.
The Bardy-bunch are-
CordeliaOpheliaBiancaCressidaDesdemonaJulietPortiaRosalindCupidPerditaPuckMabMirandaTitaniaOberonFranciscoCalibanStephanoTrinculoSycoraxMargaretProsperoSetebosFerdinand
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