Intellectually Curious

Miranda’s Hidden Ocean: Forensic Geology on Uranus’s Chaotic Moon

Mike Breault

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0:00 | 4:47

We decode a Voyager 2 flyby to show Miranda might be more than a frozen relic: a thin ice crust floating above a deep subsurface ocean, sculpted by tidal forces with Umbriel. Through forensic-style mapping of cracks, ridges, and cliffs, researchers argue the interior stayed warm enough to melt ice long enough for a liquid ocean, even as the heat source faded. If confirmed, Miranda expands the solar system’s habitable real estate and reshapes how we search for life beyond the Goldilocks zone.


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