Miranda

Miranda is one of the five regular moons of Uranus. This moon has distinctive coronae across its surface. Learn all about Miranda here!

Formation

Miranda's formation is thought to be the result of a violent and tumultuous process in the early history of Uranus's moon system. Scientists believe that Miranda likely experienced a catastrophic collision with a large celestial object, perhaps another moon or a passing body from the outer solar system. This collision would have shattered the moon into numerous fragments and then reassembled them through a process called "re-accumulation." The intense gravitational forces generated by this event would have caused Miranda's interior to partially melt, allowing denser materials to sink toward its center while lighter materials rose to the surface. As a result, Miranda has a complex and heavily cratered surface, with striking geological features like cliffs and valleys that attest to its turbulent past.

Surface

Miranda boasts a highly intriguing and diverse surface that reflects the complex geological history of this celestial body. It is characterized by a striking mix of heavily cratered regions, large fault valleys, and unique geological features. One of its most distinctive features is the "Coronae," which are large, roughly circular structures with ridges, suggesting past tectonic activity. These features are believed to have formed through a combination of geological processes, including icy volcanism and tectonic stress. Additionally, Miranda's surface showcases a vast range of terrains, from relatively smooth plains to rugged and heavily cratered areas.

Structure

Miranda's internal structure remains largely hypothetical but is inferred based on its observed surface features and the dynamics of its formation. It is believed to consist of three primary layers. The outermost layer is the icy crust, which covers the moon's surface and varies in thickness across different regions. Beneath the icy crust lies a layer of water ice, possibly containing various impurities and compounds that could give it unique properties. The innermost layer is thought to be a rocky core, composed of silicate materials. Miranda's intriguing and complex surface features, including the large fault valleys and the presence of coronae, suggest past episodes of geological activity, possibly driven by the expansion and contraction of the moon's interior due to gravitational interactions with Uranus and past heating events.

Satellites

Several spacecraft have imaged Miranda, one of Uranus's moons, during missions to the Uranian system. The most detailed images of Miranda were obtained by NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft during its flyby of Uranus in January 1986. Voyager 2's close approach provided high-resolution images of Miranda's surface, revealing its diverse and complex geological features, including large fault valleys and unique coronae formations. These images revolutionized our understanding of this enigmatic moon. Since then, Miranda has been observed during subsequent missions such as the Hubble Space Telescope. While these later observations have contributed valuable data, Voyager 2's flyby remains the primary source of detailed imagery and information about Miranda's surface and geology.