Under the heavily cratered and icy surface of Mimas, one of Saturn’s smallest moons, scientists have found a vast ocean of liquid water.
This is reported by Sciencedaily, Ukrinform reports.
This discovery, led by Dr. Valérie Laney of the Paris Observatory PSL, makes Mimas a prime target for studying the origin of life in the solar system.
“Mimas is a small satellite, only about 400 kilometers in diameter, and its heavily cratered surface gave no hint of the ocean hidden beneath,” said Dr. Nick Cooper, co-author of the study.
According to scientists, the discovery adds Mimas to the club of satellites with inland oceans, including Enceladus and Europa, but with a unique difference: its ocean is extremely young, estimated to be only 5 to 15 million years old.
This is the young age determined by a detailed analysis of the tidal interactions of Mimas with Saturn.
The discovery was made possible by analyzing data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, which has been carefully studying Saturn and its moons for more than a decade. By carefully studying changes in Mimas’ orbit, the researchers were able to conclude that there is a hidden ocean and estimate its size and depth.
Thus, Mimas opens a unique window into the early stages of ocean formation and the potential for the emergence of life.
As reported by Ukrinform, an international team of scientists has discovered phosphorus, an important chemical element for the origin of life, in salt-rich ice grains released into space from Saturn’s moon Enceladus.
