One of Saturn’s moons, resembling the “Death Star” from the Star Wars movies due to its numerous craters, conceals an ocean beneath its icy surface.
According to Sputnik (Russia), analysis of data from the Cassini spacecraft, which orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017, has revealed slight changes in the orbit of Mimas – the smallest moon and the innermost of Saturn’s eight major moons. This new finding was published in the journal Nature.
Mimas, Saturn’s moon.
The motion and rotation model of Mimas around Saturn suggests the presence of a newly formed ocean within this moon. This ocean is believed to be in a developmental state.
Valery Lainey, an astronomer at the Paris Observatory in France, stated: “If you look at the surface of Mimas, there is nothing that could indicate an ocean hidden below. This is the least likely hypothesis so far.”
Mimas is the smallest moon of Saturn, with a radius of about 198 km. The research team was astonished to find evidence of water beneath the moon’s frigid surface, but ongoing studies of its orbit suggest the possibility of a deep ocean approximately 20 to 30 km below.
According to scientists, Mimas’ ocean may have only developed in the past 2 to 3 million years.
The orbit of Mimas lies within the orbits of Saturn’s larger moons, such as Enceladus and Titan.
The moon Europa and Ganymede of Jupiter are also among the celestial bodies in the Solar System with significant potential water reserves, making them some of the top “candidates” for the emergence of life in our Solar System.
Nick Cooper, a co-author of the study and an astronomer at the Department of Physics and Chemistry at Queen Mary University in London, explained: “The existence of a newly formed liquid ocean makes Mimas a prime candidate for scientists studying the origins of life.”
The “Red Planet” – Mars, is an ideal destination for the search for extraterrestrial life due to its similarities to our planet.
The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) spacecraft from ESA is embarking on a new mission to investigate whether these moons could support life. Following the end of the Cassini mission around Saturn, scientists have plans to send another spacecraft there, particularly to explore Enceladus. However, this mission is unlikely to happen anytime soon.
