Voyager 2 flyby of Uranus' moon - Spectacular mosaic of Miranda by NASA (See pic)

Image credit: NASA/JPL/USGS

New Delhi: 31 years ago on January 24, 1986, NASA's space probe Voyager 2 flew close by one of the bewildering planets of our solar system – Uranus.

The US space agency has released a stunning computer-assembled mosaic of Uranus' moon Miranda taken from Voyager 2 spacecraft.

This computer-assembled mosaic of Miranda includes many of the high-resolution frames obtained on January 24, 1986, by Voyager 2 during its close flyby of the Uranian moon.

Scientists combined nine images to obtain this spectacular full-disc, south-polar view, which shows the varying geologic provinces of Miranda. The bulk of the photo comprises seven high-resolution images from the Voyager closest-approach sequence. Data from more distant, lower-resolution images were used to fill in gaps along the limb.

On January 24, at its closest, the spacecraft came within 81,500 kilometers (50,600 miles) of Uranus's cloudtops.

Miranda is the innermost and smallest of the five major Uranian satellites, just 480 kilometers (about 300 miles) in diameter.

Voyager 2's images of the five largest moons around Uranus revealed complex surfaces indicative of varying geologic pasts.

The cameras also detected 10 previously unseen moons. Several instruments studied the ring system, uncovering the fine detail of the previously known rings and two newly detected rings.

Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun with the third largest diameter in our solar system.