This
picture is part of the highest-resolution Voyager 2 imaging sequence of
Ariel, a moon of Uranus about 1,300 kilometers in diameter. The clear-filter,
narrow-angle image was taken 24 January 1986, from a distance of 130,000
km. |
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The
complexity of Ariel's surface indicates that a variety of geologic processes
have occurred. The numerous craters, for example, are indications of an
old surface bombarded by meteroids over a long period. Also conspicuous
at this resolution, about 2.5 km, are linear grooves (evidence of tectonic
activity that has broken up the surface) and smooth patches (indicative
of deposition of material). |
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