Portia

Portia was brought into the realm of celestial knowledge when it was discovered on January 3, 1986, by the Voyager 2 spacecraft during its pivotal flyby of the planet. Named in homage to a character from William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice," this moon exhibits a relatively small size, boasting an estimated diameter of approximately 135 kilometers (84 miles). In terms of its orbital characteristics, Portia maintains a moderate orbit around Uranus and is categorized as an inner moon. Notably, it follows a moderately inclined and retrograde orbit, signifying that it revolves around Uranus in the opposite direction of the planet's rotation. The exact composition and origins of Portia continue to be subjects of ongoing scientific inquiry. However, it is believed to be predominantly composed of water ice and rocky materials, a composition frequently encountered among many moons in the outer solar system. Its formation may have been the outcome of gradual material accretion near Uranus or could be linked to capture from more distant regions, such as the Kuiper Belt or the scattered disk. Portia belongs to the "Portia Group," a cluster of moons sharing similar attributes. As an inner moon of Uranus, its orbital dynamics are influenced by the gravitational presence of larger moons, including Juliet.