Scientist for a Day

Ana-Maria Rosescu

Grade: 7

School: Traian Gymnasium

City: Linz

Topic: Miranda

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"Geologically complex surfaces were photographed. As a satellite of Uranus, it ranks among the most enigmatic celestial bodies in the Solar System. Kuiper discovered it in 1948. Miranda was the smallest satellite near Uranus. After a while, the Voyager 2 spacecraft and the Hubble Space Telescope contributed to the discovery of another 12 satellites, with Uranus reaching 27 months.

​The diameter of Miranda is 470 km, about 7 times smaller than the Moon. It is mostly made of ice and silicates. The surface of Miranda contains rifts 12 times deeper than the Grand Canyon and 3 geological forms called "crowns", visible from Earth, each having at least 200 km in length. Arden is the largest and has peaks and valleys with a level difference of up to 2km. Elsinore has an outer belt of about 80 km, but rises only 100m from the rest of the surface. Inverness is trapezoidal and has a lighter portion in the center.

Miranda was broken by a meteorite, and the fragments were reunited by gravity, being insufficient heat to melt, it remained like a rough snow ball made of fragments.

Miranda is one of the few bodies in the Solar System that has a smaller equatorial circumference than the polar circumference. Its surface has an albedo almost as high as Ariel's.

Therefore, I chose this satellite because it is quite interesting and his appearance is very special."