3 Rhea, Miranda and Ariel
Compare Rhea, Miranda and Ariel – three varied icy moons.
Earlier in the course, you learnt about the structure of moons. Most moons are composed of varying amounts of rock and ice; our Moon is atypical in being composed of rock with very little water. Most other moons have a rocky core and an icy mantle and/or crust. Now you have the chance to study three icy moons that you have not yet studied in detail: Rhea, Miranda and Ariel. Use the downloadable table [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] for some interesting facts about these moons.
See also: David Rothery talks to Paul Byrne. In June 2014 Professor David Rothery recorded a bonus video with Paul Byrne about what excites him about beginning a new project on icy moons.