Portia
Taking its first peek at Uranus, NASA Hubble Space Telescope's Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) has detected six distinct clouds in images taken July 28, 1997. Hubble also captured eight moons in this image.
NASA/JPL/STScI
Discovery
Portia was discovered January 1986 in images sent back by the Voyager 2 spacecraft during its flyby of Uranus.
Overview
Very little is known about Uranus' small and fast-moving moon Portia. It is known that Portia has a diameter of 140 km, making it one of the largest of Uranus' lesser satellites. It is also known that Portia orbits Uranus in less than one Earth day.
How Portia Got its Name
This moon is named after Portia, the heroine of William Shakespeare's 16th century play "The Merchant of Venice." It was originally designated S/1986 U 1
