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In common with most of the moons in the Uranian system, Cordelia takes its name from a Shakespearean character, specifically the youngest of the three daughters of King Lear. This is the innermost known moon of Uranus, orbiting the planet within its bright ε (epsilon) ring. Indeed, Cordelia acts as a shepherd moon, orbiting along the ring's inner edge while its counterpart, Ophelia, follows a parallel path along the ring's outer limit.
Cordelia is an irregular object, long and thin in shape, that orbits Uranus with its longest axis pointing towards the planet. That long axis is some fifty kilometres (or about thirty miles) from end to end, but the moon's diameter is only some 36 km (22 miles) in cross section. Its physical structure is not well understood, but by comparison with related moons it seems to be rich in carbon, and is therefore a relatively dark body.
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