On Feb. 16, 1948, Dutch-American astronomer Gerard Kuiper was using the telescope at the McDonald Observatory in Texas to photograph the four moons of Uranus: Oberon, Titania, Umbriel, and Ariel. An unknown bright spot stood out when Kuiper developed the images; further observations over the following days demonstrated that the spot was not a star, as it was in fact orbiting Uranus.
Kuiper named the moon – Uranus’ fifth known satellite – Miranda, continuing the tradition of using Shakespearean monikers. The first four moons had been discovered in 1787 (Titania and Oberon) and 1851 (Ariel and Umbriel), but Miranda’s comparatively diminutive size and closeness to its planet delayed its discovery. No other moons of Uranus would be spotted until Voyager 2’s visit in 1986.
