One of Uranus's moons may be hiding a huge underground ocean of liquid water
Kyiv • UNN
Scientists have discovered signs of a deep liquid ocean beneath Miranda's surface based on Voyager 2 images. The researchers believe that remnants of this ocean may still exist today.
A recent study has revealed an amazing find on Miranda, one of Uranus' moons. The discovery would put it on the short list of worlds with potentially habitable environments.
Writes UNN with a link to the scientific website Space.
Over the past few decades, planetary scientists have been steadily adding to the list of satellites in our solar system that may contain interior oceans, either now or at some point in the past. For the most part, these satellites (such as Europa or Enceladus) have been gravitationally bound to the gas giants Jupiter or Saturn.
Recently, however, scientists have turned their attention to the ice giant Uranus, the coldest planet in the solar system.
A new study, based on images taken by the Voyager 2 spacecraft, reveals a deep liquid ocean hidden beneath the surface of Miranda, an icy moon of Uranus.
Remnants of this ocean may still exist today, according to Caleb Strom, a graduate student at the University of North Dakota who worked with Nordheim and Alex Pattoff of the Institute for Planetary Science in Arizona. Experts have been reviewing Voyager 2 images with the goal of explaining Miranda's mysterious geology by reverse engineering surface features.
Recall
Researchers have found traces of a massive underground water reservoir on Mars at a depth of 11.5-20 km. The discovery may change the understanding of the planet's evolution and the possibility of microorganisms.
