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Scientists have discovered an ocean on Saturn’s moon

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A scientific team from the Southwestern Research Institute in Texas have reported that there is a liquid ocean under the ice of Saturn’s moon Mimas. Previously, scientists believed that the satellite consists entirely of frozen water.

The Cassini space probe in the last days of its work recorded fluctuations in the rotation of Mimas. Usually, these phenomena indicate the geological activity of the body, which is able to maintain the internal ocean in a liquid state.

Ice moon geophysicist and lead author of the study, Dr. Alyssa Rhodes, said the surface of the moon does not betray the presence of an ocean underneath. She says it could be classified as a new type of ocean world.

In the solar system, there are bodies where the oceans are hidden under ice and rocks, for example, on the satellites Titan, Europa and Enceladus, as well as the planetoid Pluto. The Earth must be within a narrow range of distance from the Sun in order to keep the oceans liquid. However, the listed objects are in a wider range of distances.

Previously, scientists believed that Mimas was entirely made of ice, as craters on its surface indicated this. Enceladus and Europa are devoid of such depressions, they have cracks and other evidence of geological activity. The observation broadens the definition of potentially habitable worlds within the solar system and beyond, Rhodes notes.

The scientists concluded that tidal heating in the interior of Mimas must be high enough to keep the liquid from freezing, but still leave a sizable shell of ice that spans between 22.5 and 32.1 km.

Rhoden says the results of the study show the presence of an ocean on Saturn’s moon, but it is still difficult for scientists to reconcile the orbital and geological characteristics of Mimas with current understanding of its thermal and orbital evolution.

The researcher explains that this discovery will help to better understand the nature of the rings of Saturn and its satellites, as well as in the search for potentially habitable sea satellites, such as Uranus. Scientists promise to continue research on Mimas.

Sources:

https://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/news/75953/

https://www.wibw.com/2022/01/26/saturns-death-star-moon-may-have-hidden-ocean-scientists-discover/

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