OTD In Space – January 11: William Herschel Discovers 2 Moons Of Uranus

On January 11, 1787, the English astronomer Sir William Herschel discovered two moons at Uranus! Oberon and Titania were the first two Uranian moons ever discovered.

The finding came just six years after Herschel actually discovered the planet itself. By now astronomers have discovered 27 moon at Uranus, and all of them are named after characters from the works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope. Titania is the largest moon of Uranus and is named after the queen of the fairies in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Oberon is the second-largest and is named after the mythical king of the fairies in the same story.