471.6 km
DIAMETER
1.41 DAYS
ORBITAL PERIOD
129,900 km
FROM URANUS
1948
DISCOVERED
1.41 DAYS
ROTATION PERIOD
5th
LARGE MOON OF URANUS
THE STRANGE MOON
Miranda is the smallest of Uranus'
five major moons, but its surface is
one of the most unusual in the Solar System.
It contains enormous cliffs, deep canyons,
impact craters and strange regions of terrain
that look very different from one another.
The most famous feature is Verona Rupes,
a gigantic cliff that may rise several
kilometres above the surrounding terrain.
Scientists think Miranda experienced
significant geological activity in its past.
Tidal interactions with Uranus may have
provided energy that helped reshape its surface.
MIRANDA FEATURES
VERONA RUPES
One of the most spectacular cliffs
known in the Solar System.
CORONAE
Large regions of unusual terrain
that create Miranda's distinctive
patchwork appearance.
GEOLOGICAL HISTORY
Miranda's strange surface suggests
a complex geological history despite
the moon's relatively small size.
DID YOU KNOW?
Miranda's Verona Rupes may be
one of the tallest cliffs known anywhere
in the Solar System.
A MOON WITH EXTREME TERRAIN
Miranda displays a remarkable mixture of old cratered regions, enormous canyons and large patchwork-like structures called coronae. The juxtaposition of these terrains indicates a complicated geological history despite Miranda's small size.
Scientists have considered processes including tectonic deformation and past tidal heating to explain the surface, but the details of how its unusual landscape formed remain an active scientific question.
IMAGE:
NASA / JPL / VOYAGER 2
IMAGE VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
IMAGE VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS