Miranda

Discovery
Discovered by:	Gerard P. Kuiper
Discovery date:	February 16, 1948
Orbital characteristics
Semi-major axis:	129,390 km
Eccentricity:	0.0013
Orbital period:	1.413479 d
Inclination:	4.232° (to Uranus' equator)
Satellite of:	Uranus
Physical characteristics
Dimensions:	480×468.4×465.8 km
Mean radius:	235.8 km (0.03697 Earths)
Surface area:	700,000 km2
Volume:	54,835,000 km3
Mass:	6.59×1019 kg (1.103×10-5 Earths)
Mean density:	1.20 g/cm3
Equatorial surface gravity:	0.079 m/s2
Escape velocity:	0.19 km/s
Rotation period:	synchronous
Axial tilt:	zero
Albedo:	0.32
Surface temp.:    Kelvin	min mean max   ~59 K 86 K

Miranda (IPA: [mɪˈrændə]) is the smallest and innermost of Uranus' five major moons. Miranda, moon of Uranus. ... Gerard Peter Kuiper, born Gerrit Pieter Kuiper (December 7, 1905 – December 23, 1973) was a Dutch-American astronomer. ... February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Two bodies with a slight difference in mass orbiting around a common barycenter. ... The semi-major axis of an ellipse In geometry, the term semi-major axis (also semimajor axis) is used to describe the dimensions of ellipses and hyperbolae. ... ‹ The template below (Unit of length) is being considered for deletion. ... (This page refers to eccitricity in astrodynamics. ... The orbital period is the time it takes a planet (or another object) to make one full orbit. ... Inclination in general is the angle between a reference plane and another plane or axis of direction. ... A natural satellite is an object that orbits a planet or other body larger than itself and which is not man-made. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 120 kPa Hydrogen 83% Helium 15% Methane 1. ... In mathematics, a spheroid is a quadric surface in three dimensions obtained by rotating an ellipse about one of its principal axes. ... Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol km², is a decimal multiple of SI unit of surface area square metre, one of the SI derived units. ... The volume of a solid object is the three-dimensional concept of how much space it occupies, often quantified numerically. ... A cubic kilometre (symbol km³) is an SI derived unit of volume. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The kilogram or kilogramme (symbol: kg) is the SI base unit of mass. ... In physics, density is mass m per unit volume V. For the common case of a homogeneous substance, it is expressed as: where, in SI units: ρ (rho) is the density of the substance, measured in kg·m-3 m is the mass of the substance, measured in kg V is... The surface gravity of a Killing horizon is the acceleration, as exerted at infinity, needed to keep an object at the horizon. ... Acceleration is the time rate of change of velocity and/or direction, and at any point on a velocity-time graph, it is given by the slope of the tangent to the curve at that point. ... Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on mission STS-71. ... In astronomy, a rotation period is the time an astronomical object takes to complete one revolution around its rotation axis relative to the background stars. ... Due to synchronous rotation of their moon, the inhabitants of the central body will never be able to see its green side. ... In astronomy, Axial tilt is the inclination angle of a planets rotational axis in relation to a perpendicular to its orbital plane. ... Albedo is the ratio of reflected to incident electromagnetic radiation. ... Fig. ... Articles with similar titles include the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 120 kPa Hydrogen 83% Helium 15% Methane 1. ... A natural satellite is an object that orbits a planet or other body larger than itself and which is not man-made. ...

It was discovered by Gerard Kuiper on 1948-02-16 at McDonald Observatory. It was named after Prospero's daughter in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest by Kuiper in his report of the discovery.^[1] The adjectival form of the name is Mirandan. It is also designated Uranus V. Gerard Kuiper, circa 1963. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... McDonald Observatorys 2. ... Prospero and Miranda by William Maw Egley Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Prospero Prospero is the protagonist in The Tempest, a play by William Shakespeare. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

So far the only close-up images of Miranda are from the Voyager 2 probe, which made observations of the moon during its Uranus flyby in January, 1986. During the flyby the southern hemisphere of the moon was pointed towards the Sun so only that part was studied. It is geologically the most active body in the Uranian system. Trajectory Voyager 2 is an unmanned interplanetary spacecraft, launched on August 20, 1977. ... Sol redirects here. ...

Physical characteristics

Close-up view of Verona Rupes, a large fault scarp on Miranda; possibly 5 km (3 miles) high.^[2][3]

Miranda's surface may be mostly water ice, with the low density body also likely containing silicate rock and organic compounds in its interior. Download high resolution version (1016x1002, 73 KB)Miranda High Resolution of Large Fault This high-resolution image of Miranda was acquired by Voyager 2 on Jan. ... Download high resolution version (1016x1002, 73 KB)Miranda High Resolution of Large Fault This high-resolution image of Miranda was acquired by Voyager 2 on Jan. ... Verona Rupes is the tallest known cliff in the Solar System. ... In chemistry, a silicate is a compound containing an anion in which one or more central silicon atoms are surrounded by electronegative ligands. ... Benzene is the simplest of the arenes, a family of organic compounds An organic compound is any member of a large class of chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon and hydrogen; therefore, carbides, carbonates, carbon oxides and elementary carbon are not organic (see below for more on the definition controversy...

Miranda's surface has patchwork regions of broken terrain indicating intense geological activity in the moon's past, and is criss-crossed by huge canyons. Large grooved structures, called coronae, may be diapirs, or upwellings of warm ice. The grooves probably represent cryovolcanic ridges formed by fissure eruptions of icy magma. The canyons probably represent grabens formed by extensional faulting. The diapirs may have changed the density distribution within the moon, which could have caused Miranda to reorient itself,^[4] an event similar to what is believed to have occurred on Saturn's geologically active moon Enceladus. Miranda is one of the few bodies in the solar system in which the equatorial circumference is shorter than the pole-to-pole circumference, likely a consequence of the diapir activity. This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... A lava lamp illustrates the basic principle of diapirism. ... Ganesa Macula, a dark feature on Saturns moon Titan, might be a cryovolcanic dome. ... A fissure vent is a linear volcanic vent through which lava erupts, usually without any explosive activity. ... USGS image A graben is a depressed block of land bordered by parallel faults. ... Extensional tectonics is concerned with the structures formed, and the tectonic processes associated with, the stretching of the crust or lithosphere. ... Adjectives: Saturnian Atmosphere [3] Scale height: 59. ... Atmosphere Surface pressure: trace, significant spatial variability[8][9] Composition: 91% Water vapour 4% Nitrogen 3. ...

Miranda's past geological activity is believed to have been driven by tidal heating at a time when its orbit was more eccentric than currently. Early in its history, Miranda was apparently captured in a 3:1 orbital resonance with Umbriel, from which it subsequently escaped.^[5] The resonance would have increased orbital eccentricity; resulting tidal friction due to time-varying tidal forces from Uranus would have caused warming of the moon's interior. In the Uranus system, due to the planet's lesser degree of oblateness, and the larger relative size of its satellites, escape from a mean motion resonance is much easier than for satellites of Jupiter or Saturn. Miranda's orbital inclination (4.34°) is unusually high for a body so close to the planet. Miranda probably escaped from its resonance with Umbriel via a secondary resonance, and the mechanism of this escape is believed to explain why its orbital inclination is more than 10 times those of the other large Uranian moons (see Uranus' natural satellites).^[6][7] It has been suggested that Tidal friction be merged into this article or section. ... In celestial mechanics, an orbital resonance occurs when two orbiting bodies exert a regular, periodic gravitational influence on each other. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Umbriel (um-bree-É™l, IPA ) is a moon of Uranus discovered on 1851-10-24 by William Lassell. ... (This page refers to eccitricity in astrodynamics. ... Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 after breaking up under the influence of Jupiters tidal forces. ... An oblate spheroid is ellipsoid having a shorter axis and two equal longer axes. ... For other uses, see Jupiter (disambiguation). ... Adjectives: Saturnian Atmosphere [3] Scale height: 59. ... Inclination in general is the angle between a reference plane and another plane or axis of direction. ... Uranus has 27 known moons. ...

An earlier theory, proposed shortly after the Voyager 2 flyby and now out of favor, was that a previous incarnation of Miranda was shattered by a massive impact, with the fragments reassembling into the current strange pattern.^[3] Trajectory Voyager 2 is an unmanned interplanetary spacecraft, launched on August 20, 1977. ...

Scientists recognize the following geological features on Miranda: This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ...

• Craters
• Coronae (large ovoid features)
• Regiones (geological regions)
• Rupes (scarps)
• Sulci (parallel grooves)

Tycho crater on Earths moon. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... An oval or ovoid was originally an egg shape (from Latin OVVM); it is now usually used to refer to ellipses, but can also mean any similar shape, such as egg shapes or race-course shapes (a semicircle on either side of a quadrilateral). ... Rupes is the Latin word for cliff. It is used in planetary geology to refer to escarpments on other planets and moons. ... In geology, an escarpment is a transition zone between different physiogeographic provinces that involves an elevation differential, often involving high cliffs. ...

Miranda in popular culture

• Astronomy Domine, a song by Pink Floyd, refers to Miranda as well as Oberon and Titania.

• In the fictional Star Trek universe, the crystalline mineral dilithium was first discovered on Miranda in the mid-21st century. The moon said to be the only naturally occurring source of dilithium in the Sol system. This mineral was, a short time later, used to facilitate warp drive propulsion systems which allowed spacecraft to achieve faster-than-light travel.

Astronomy Domine is a song by British Psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that initially earned recognition for their psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their avant-garde progressive rock music. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Oberon (oe-bur-on) is the outermost of the major moons of the planet Uranus. ... Atmospheric pressure   Titania (ti-taan-ee-É™ or tye-tan-ee-É™) is the largest moon of Uranus. ... The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. ... It has been suggested that Trilithium be merged into this article or section. ... For other uses, see Warp drive (disambiguation). ...

See also

• List of geological features on Miranda

This is a list of named geological features on Miranda. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 204th day of the year (205th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 204th day of the year (205th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 217th day of the year (218th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 217th day of the year (218th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ...

External links

• Miranda Profile by NASA's Solar System Exploration
• Miranda page on The Nine8 Planets
• Miranda, A Moon of Uranus on Views of the Solar System

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