Sections:


• Nascita e Finalità Istituzionali
• Fonti
• Le nuove frontiere di Lunar Explorer Italia
• Il sito Lun.Ex.It e il Materiale Contenuto
• Lun.Ex.It e gli UFO
• Differenze tra Lun.Ex.It. ed altre Associazioni
• The Moon Today


• True Planets
• People of Lunexit
• Right to Reply
• Utilities


• Contattaci




  Feed RSS

users:

Galleries:


• THE LUNAR EXPLORER ARCHIVES
• MOON
• MARS
• SOLAR SYSTEM
• DEEP SKY

A R C H I V E S

This HR image of Miranda was acquired by NASA Voyager 2 Probe on January 24th, 1986, when the Spacecraft was approx. 36.000 Km from the Uranian moon (whose diameter is approx. 472 Km). In this clear-filter, narrow-angle image (that shows an area approx. 250 Km across), Miranda, the innermost of Uranus' moons, displays a dramatically varied Surface. Well shown at this resolution of 800 meters (2600 feet) are numerous Ridges and Valleys - a topography that was probably produced by Compressional Tectonics. Cutting across the Ridges and Valleys there are also many visible Faults.

Two distinct Terrain types are well visible: a rugged, higher-elevation Terrain (Sx - left) and a lower, Striated Terrain (Dx - right). Numerous Impact Craters on the rugged, Higher Terrain are visible and several Scarps, probably Faults, cut both Terrains. The Impact Crater located in the right, slightly lower part of the frame, is about 25 Km across. The largest Fault Scarp, or Cliff, can be seen below and left of center; it shows Grooves probably made by the contact of the Fault Blocks as they rubbed against each other (leaving peculiar Surface Striations which are known as "Slickensides"). Movement of the down-dropped Block is shown by the offset of the Ridges. One of the most prominent of these Features is an enormous Cliff with a vertical relief of about 20 km. This Cliff, named Verona Rupes, is about 10 times higher than the Walls of the Grand Canyon on Earth. The majesty of this towering Cliff is made even more remarkable by the small size of Miranda itself. The white material exposed in the Cliff Face is probably Water Ice, for the most part of it.

This frame has been colorized in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Voyager 2 Spacecraft and then looked outside, towards the Uranian moon Miranda), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team.