February 16, 2022
On this date in 1948, Dutch astronomer Gerard Kuiper discovered Uranus’ moon Miranda. Miranda is covered in a series of complex fault scarp and groove systems. It is unclear whether these features were formed by large impact events on Miranda’s surface, or by internal pressures from tidal heating caused by Jupiter’s gravitational pull.
This Voyager 2 image of Miranda shows the geologically complex surface, including series of fault scarps and chevrons which are shown in close up on the right. Image credit: NASA