The Moons of Uranus

Voyager 2 photographed the five major moons at close range. All have icy surfaces, but they are darker and rockier than Saturn's moons. Early in their history three were geologically vigorous

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

00

TORRENCE V. JOHNSON has an asteroid named after him: 2614 Torrence, a body about one kilometer in diameter. Working at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., he has been the project scientist for Galileo since 1977--some three quarters of his career as a planetary scientist. He was a member of the imaging team for Voyager and is now on the imaging team for the Cassini mission to Saturn.

More by Torrence V. Johnson
Scientific American Magazine Vol 256 Issue 4This article was published with the title “The Moons of Uranus” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 256 No. 4 (), p. 48
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0487-48

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American

Subscribe