Sycorax

Sycorax

Sycorax was discovered on September 6, 1997, by astronomers using the Hale Telescope at the Palomar Observatory in California. Named after the witch Sycorax in William Shakespeare's "The Tempest," this moon belongs to the category of irregular moons, characterized by its irregular shape and distant, inclined orbit around Uranus. While specific details regarding its size and mass remain somewhat limited, Sycorax is generally considered relatively small compared to Uranus's major moons. It orbits Uranus in a unique and highly inclined retrograde fashion, moving opposite to the planet's rotation. Sycorax's exploration has been primarily conducted through ground-based telescopes. Its composition, origin, and geological features are subjects of ongoing research, with the prevailing belief that it is predominantly composed of water ice and rocky material.