Verona Rupes

18°18′S 347°48′E / 18.3°S 347.8°E / -18.3; 347.8

Verona Rupes
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Verona Rupes, right of center,[1] photographed by Voyager 2 in January 1986.
Feature typeScarp
LocationMiranda
Coordinates18°18′S 347°48′E / 18.30°S 347.80°E / -18.30; 347.80[2]
Diameter116.0 km (72.1 mi)
Peak
  • 5–15 km (3.1–9.3 mi)[3]
  • 5–10 km (3.1–6.2 mi)[4]
  • 20 km (12 mi)[5]
DiscovererVoyager 2
EponymVerona, the setting for Romeo and Juliet

Verona Rupes is the tallest known cliff on Miranda, a moon of Uranus, and plausibly holds the record for the highest cliff in the Solar System. It was discovered by the Voyager 2 space probe in January 1986. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1988, named after the city of Verona, which is set in Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare.[2] It may have been created by a major impact that caused the moon to disrupt and reassemble,[6][7] or by the crust rifting.[8] Given Miranda's low gravity, it would take about 12 minutes to fall from the top, reaching the bottom at a speed of about 200 km/h.[5]

There are many estimates about the cliff's height. It was thought its height was between 5 to 10 km (3 to 6 mi)[4] high, while another places it at a higher altitude of 20 km (12 mi),[5] potentially making it the tallest known cliff in the Solar System. One study estimated that the "true" height of Verona Rupes is around 5 to 15 km (3 to 9 mi) when not accounting for oblique viewing caused by parallax, gradually getting more shallow towards the terminator.[3] It may be presumed that the scarp extends beyond the terminator, into the northern hemisphere, in which the Voyager 2 probe cannot view farther than.[9] The scarp's slope with regard to the dark limb that extends past the terminator is estimated to be around 25 to 30 degrees.[3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference pia00044 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference GPN was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c "1991LPI....22.1341S Page 1341". adsabs.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Thomas 1988 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference nasa2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference usgs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference chaikin2001a was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference chaikin2001b was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Plescia, J. B. (1988-03-01). "Cratering history of Miranda: Implications for geologic processes". Icarus. 73 (3): 442–461. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(88)90055-3. ISSN 0019-1035.