subsurface ocean Archives

Kobe University HIRATA Naoyuki was the first to realize that the location of an asteroid impact on Jupiter’s moon Ganymede is almost precisely on the meridian farthest away from Jupiter. This implied that Ganymede had undergone a reorientation of its rotational axis and allowed Hirata to calculate what kind of impact could have caused this to happen.CREDIT HIRATA Naoyuki

Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Impact events, Jupiter, Pluto, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

A Gigantic Asteroid Impact Shifted The Axis Of Ganymede

by Keith CowingSeptember 4, 2024September 4, 2024

Around 4 billion years ago, an asteroid hit the Jupiter moon Ganymede. Now, a Kobe University researcher realized that the Solar System’s biggest moon’s axis has shifted as a result […]

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mimas, Saturn, Status Report, Tethys, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

The Evolution Of A Young Ocean Within Mimas

by Keith CowingAugust 19, 2024October 7, 2025

The fractured, young surfaces on confirmed ocean worlds such as Europa and Enceladus suggest that ocean-bearing moons with relatively thin overlying ice shells should be easy to identify. Hence, the […]

Illustration of the tidal action between a planet (Saturn) and its moon (Enceladus). Enceladus moves on a synchronized elliptical orbit, which makes its instantaneous orbital speed vary. At its closest point to Saturn, Enceladus rotates slower than it orbits, so the raised tide lies slightly behind the Enceladus-Saturn (dashed) line in the direction of Enceladus’s rotation. At its most distant point to Saturn, the opposite is true. As a result, the raised tide performs tiny oscillations called librations. -- astro-ph.EP

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Enceladus, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mimas, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

A Simplified Model for the Forced Libration of Icy Moons with Subsurface Oceans: Application to Enceladus and Mimas

by Keith CowingMay 7, 2024May 7, 2024

In this work, we investigate a minimalist model capable of accurately replicating the forced librations of an icy moon with a subsurface ocean.

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mimas, Saturn, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Evidence And Concerns About A Latent, Embryonic Phase Tectonic Evolution And The Existence Of The Young Subsurface Ocean On Mimas

by Keith CowingApril 23, 2024August 17, 2024

New models challenge the long-standing conclusion about Mimas, an icy satellite of Saturn, being an inactive snowball, suggesting the existence of a young stealth ocean.

ALMA HCN (J = 4 − 3) spectra of Europa (blue) averaged within 0.14′′ × 0.14′′ square regions, overlaid on a wireframe grid showing Europa’s size and orientation at the time of observation (2021-05-09). The ALMA beam FWHM is indicated lower left (dot-dashed ellipse). Upper right axes show physical distances in the plane of the sky, while lower left axes show the spectral units for each sub-panel. The ALMA data for all species, on all epochs, are available for download from the Zenodo repository (Cordiner 2024). -- astro-ph.EP

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Jupiter, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

ALMA Spectroscopy of Europa: A Search for Active Plumes

by Keith CowingApril 9, 2024April 9, 2024

The subsurface ocean of Europa is a high priority target in the search for extraterrestrial life, but direct investigations are hindered by the presence of a thick, exterior ice shell.

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Callisto, Comets and Asteroids, Enceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

SwRI Scientists Find Evidence Of Geothermal Activity Within Icy Dwarf Planets

by Keith CowingFebruary 15, 2024March 23, 2024

A team co-led by Southwest Research Institute found evidence for hydrothermal or metamorphic activity within the icy dwarf planets Eris and Makemake, located in the Kuiper Belt. Methane detected on […]

This poster shows a flattened (Mercator) projection of the Huygens probe's view of Saturn's moon Titan from 10 kilometres altitude. The images that make up this view were taken on Jan. 14, 2005, with the descent imager/spectral radiometer onboard the European Space Agency's Huygens probe. The Huygens probe was delivered to Titan by the Cassini spacecraft, managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. (ESA/NASA/JPL/University of Arizona photo)

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Titan

Titan Is Most Likely Not Habitable

by Keith CowingFebruary 15, 2024February 15, 2024

A study led by Western astrobiologist Catherine Neish shows the subsurface ocean of Titan – the largest moon of Saturn – is most likely a non-habitable environment, meaning any hope […]

Maps of the CO2 n3 band area and the ratio between its two peaks. The disk of Europa is indicated by the black circles in both panels and centered at 2.7°N and 93°W. Gray dashed lines indicate the 45°W, 90°W, and 135°W meridians and the 60°S, 30°S, 0°N, 30°N, and 60°N parallels. The large-scale chaos regions Tara Regio (~10ºS, 75ºW) and Powys Regio (~0ºS, 150ºW) are outlined in black within the disk using the boundaries as defined by (11). (A) Mapped band area (indicated by the color bar) of the entire n3 CO2 band. The strongest absorption occurs in Tara Regio, the region of disrupted terrain centered to the right of the 90°W meridian. CO2 also appears concentrated in parts of the chaos region Powys Regio, which is shown on the left portion of the disk. (B) The mapped ratio between the 4.25-µm and 4.27-µm peaks within the CO2 band. The spatial pixels outlined in white mark the locations of the spectra shown in Figure 1. The 4.25-µm peak is the stronger of the two within the chaos terrain and at low latitudes, while the 4.27-µm peak is stronger in the colder, more ice-rich northern latitudes. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

The Distribution Of CO2 On Europa Indicates An Internal Source Of Carbon

by Keith CowingSeptember 23, 2023September 23, 2023

Jupiter’s moon Europa has a subsurface ocean, the chemistry of which is largely unknown. Carbon dioxide (CO2) has previously been detected on the surface of Europa, but it was not […]

Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Pluto, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Could There Be Life In Pluto's Ocean?

by Keith CowingDecember 1, 2016March 25, 2023

Pluto is thought to possess a subsurface ocean, which is not so much a sign of water as it is a tremendous clue that other dwarf planets in deep space […]