Ariel

Ariel is a term in astronomy for a satellite of Uranus. It was discovered in 1851. It has a diameter of 1,160 km, and is the twelfth closest to the planet and the fourth largest in size.

A series of six American and British satellites are also named Ariel sent in the space between 1962 and 1979. They are devoted to studies of the ionosphere and X-ray astronomy.

They are named after a spirit Ariel in Shakespeare's The Tempest.