Miranda (moon)
Miranda is one of Uranus' moons. It is the smallest, and the one which has the least rotation time. Gerard Kuiper discovered it in 1948, February 16th and named it after Miranda, Prospero's daughter in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest. Sometimes it is also called Uranus V.
It's one of Uranus' strangest moons. Its complex surface may indicate partial melting of its interior, with icy material drifting to the surface.
The probe Voyager 2 made some photos in 1986. These are the only images that exist, so far. Geologically, it is the most active body in the Uranus system. The grooves and troughs reach depths of a few kilometers (or miles) and expose materials of different albedos (reflectivity). The features suggest a long, complex geologic evolution of this satellite.
Gallery
A picture of Miranda
Verona Rupes, the highest known cliff in the Solar System
An array of fractures, grooves and craters. This clear-filter, narrow-angle view shows areas of older, heavily cratered terrain with a wide variety of forms.
Miranda (moon) Media
Gerard P. Kuiper, discoverer of Miranda
Miranda, Uranus, and its other moons photographed by the Cerro Paranal Observatory.
Illustration of the positions of the main geological structures on an image of Miranda.
The Inverness Corona is characterized by its white central "chevron". The crater Alonso is visible in the upper right, as well as the cliffs of Argier Rupes in the upper left.
