Miranda (moon)

Miranda is the smallest and innermost of Uranus's five major moons. It was discovered by Gerard Kuiper on February 16, 1948, at the McDonald Observatory. Miranda is named after a character from William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.

Physical characteristics

Miranda has a diameter of about 471 kilometers, making it the smallest of Uranus's major moons. It has a low density of 1.214 g/cm³, indicating that it is composed primarily of water ice with a small amount of rock.

Surface features

Miranda's surface is one of the most varied and extreme in the Solar System, with huge canyons, terraced layers, and a mixture of old and young surfaces. The most prominent features are the so-called "coronae," which are large, oval-shaped regions characterized by ridges and valleys. The largest of these is named Arden Corona, which is about 300 kilometers in diameter.

Orbit and rotation

Miranda orbits Uranus at a distance of about 129,390 kilometers. It has a nearly circular orbit with an eccentricity of 0.0013 and an orbital period of approximately 1.413 days. Miranda is in synchronous rotation with Uranus, meaning that it always shows the same face to the planet.

Exploration

Miranda was visited by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in January 1986. The images and data returned by Voyager 2 provided the first detailed look at Miranda's surface and revealed its complex geology.

See also

• List of natural satellites
• Moons of Uranus
• Voyager program