CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronomers have found the best evidence yet of a vast, young ocean beneath the icy exterior of Saturn’s Death Star lookalike mini moon. The French-led team analyzed changes in Mimas’ orbit and rotation and reported Wednesday that a hidden ocean 12 to 18 miles (20 to 30 kilometers) beneath the frozen crust was more likely than an elongated rocky core. The scientists based their findings on observations by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, which observed Saturn and its more than 140 moons for more than a decade before diving through the ringed planet’s atmosphere in 2017 and burning up. Barely 250 miles (400 kilometers) in diameter, the heavily cratered moon lacks the fractures and geysers — typical signs of subsurface activity — of Saturn’s Enceladus and Jupiter’s Europa. “Mimas was probably the most unlikely place to look for a global ocean — and liquid water more generally,” co-author Valery Lainey of the Paris Observatory said in an email. “So that looks like a potential habitable world. But nobody knows how much time is needed for life to arise.” |
California architect builds incredible miniature Disneyland in his backyardThe world's quirkiest themed cruises revealed, from a nude cruise to a voyage for catAmerican couple try a Toby Carvery for the first timeThe world's best 50 cities in 2024 ranked by Time OutFirst look: Alton Towers' 50mph Nemesis rollercoaster is unveiled to the public with a brandI took a trip on America's CHEAPEST cruiseThe future of entertainment? Inside the world's first 'Hologram Zoo' in AustraliaThe ultimate guide to 101 FREE Easter treats taking place across BritainThe world's best 50 cities in 2024 ranked by Time OutRussian landing ship Caesar Kunikov sunk off Crimea, says Ukraine