Meghan is a senior writer at Space.com and has more than five years' experience as a science journalist based in New York City. She joined Space.com in July 2018, with previous writing published in outlets including Newsweek and Audubon. Meghan earned an MA in science journalism from New York University and a BA in classics from Georgetown University, and in her free time she enjoys reading and visiting museums. Follow her on Twitter at @meghanbartels.
. Nearest the planet itself are the inner ring moons, which Cartwright noted are the most densely packed system of satellites in the solar system and may be exchanging material with the rings. Farthest away, all beyond 2.
But the five remaining moons, dubbed the classical moons, are where a spacecraft could really shine. These are the moons large enough that astronomers had spotted them fromEven the smallest and last-spotted of these moons, Miranda, which is about 310 miles wide, embodies the mysteries surrounding the Uranian moons."Miranda's really weird," Cartwright said.Images from Voyager 2's flyby show geological features that are difficult to decipher, he noted.
"There's craters that look like they've been filled in by something, and then craters that don't look like they've been filled in with something, and in many cases, these craters are right next to each other," Cartwright said."So, something really interesting happened in Miranda's geologic past, maybe multiple times."Ariel seems to have the freshest surfaces of the five classical moons. Umbriel has the oldest and darkest.
"Clearly, we need better coverage of these moons," Cartwright said, pointing in particular to their northern hemispheres, which Voyager 2 wasn't able to see at all. In addition, Voyager 2 saw only a snapshot, one taken while the southern hemisphere was in spring. Much of the work Cartwright envisions at these worlds could be done with the instruments a Uranus orbiter would carry regardless, like its cameras. But he also encouraged mission planners to consider adding a dust analyzer that could identify compounds based on their weight as an instrument that would be particularly valuable in understanding Uranus' moons.
Argentina Últimas Noticias, Argentina Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
Debris Avoidance Maneuver: Space Station Thrusters Fire To Avoid Russian Space JunkLast evening, the Progress 81 docked to the International Space Station (ISS) fired its thrusters for 5 minutes, 5 seconds in a Pre-Determined Debris Avoidance Maneuver (PDAM) to provide the complex an extra measure of distance away from the predicted track of a fragment of Russian Cosmos 1408 debri
Leer más »
International Space Station swerves to avoid Russian space debris, NASA says | CNNThe International Space Station fired its thrusters to maneuver out of the way of a piece of oncoming Russian space junk, NASA said late Monday.
Leer más »
New James Webb Space Telescope photos show a massive galaxy cluster bending lightIs it two galaxies, or two star clusters? Astronomers aren't yet sure what the James Webb Space Telescope spotted in an image of the early universe.
Leer más »
SLC voters to decide $85 million bond for new parks, trails and open spaceVoters in Utah's capital city will decide whether to fund an $85 million bond to build new parks and secure open spaces.
Leer más »
Particles from space provide a new look inside cyclonesCosmic rays that smash into the atmosphere make muons that are sensitive to changing air pressure inside storms.
Leer más »