The Solar System - Word Search - PUZZLE #26 MIRANDA - August 2025

PUZZLE #26 - MIRANDA 

IN-CONTEXT WORD DEFINITIONS

Miranda: Miranda is a small and geologically complex moon of Uranus, known for its strange and varied terrain, including massive cliffs, ridges, and fault canyons. It was discovered in 1948 by Gerard Kuiper.

Innermost: Miranda is the innermost of Uranus’s major moons, meaning it orbits closest to the planet among the large satellites (Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon).

Coronae: On Miranda, coronae are vast, oval-shaped geological regions with ridges, valleys, and signs of tectonic activity. They may be the result of upwellings from the moon's interior, and they make Miranda look "patchworked."

Verona Rupes: This is a giant cliff on Miranda, believed to be the tallest known cliff in the solar system—possibly up to 20 kilometers (12 miles) high. A fall from Verona Rupes would take minutes due to the moon’s low gravity.

Canyons: Miranda’s surface includes deep canyons and fault valleys, suggesting a history of crustal stretching and tectonic disruption. These chasms divide the moon's surface into distinct terrains.

Ridges: Parallel ridges on Miranda’s surface mark areas of intense geological deformation, especially within the coronae, indicating that the moon has undergone internal stresses or convective processes.

Shakespeare: Miranda, like many Uranian moons, is named after a character from Shakespeare. In this case, Miranda is Prospero’s daughter in The Tempest. This naming tradition links literary themes with astronomy.

The Tempest: The Tempest is the Shakespearean play from which Miranda (and other Uranian moons) draws its name. Many features on Miranda are also named after characters and places from this play.

Frankenstein: In a metaphorical sense, Miranda has been described as a “Frankenstein” moon—as if it were stitched together from different pieces. Its patchwork-like surface, with dramatically contrasting regions, evokes this comparison.

Secret Word: Miranda’s surface is often called a geological puzzle due to its unusual mix of terrains, extreme features, and unclear formation history. Scientists still debate whether the moon was broken apart and reassembled, or shaped by internal heating.