Uranus moon Miranda may harbor a hidden ocean, raising prospect of extraterrestrial life

Why it matters: For decades, Miranda – nan small, icy satellite of Uranus – was thought to beryllium thing much than a stiff hunk of stone and ice. However, caller investigation from Johns Hopkins University is challenging that presumption successful a large way. The findings propose that Miranda whitethorn really harbor a subsurface ocean, perchance moreover tin of sustaining life.

"To find grounds of an water wrong a mini entity for illustration Miranda is incredibly surprising," said Tom Nordheim, a planetary intelligence astatine nan Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab who worked connected nan study.

Miranda is nan smallest of Uranus's awesome moons, measuring conscionable 290 miles crossed – astir one-seventh nan size of Earth's moon. Since nan Voyager 2 spacecraft flew by successful 1986, capturing respective photographs, nan prevailing belief has been that Miranda, for illustration Uranus's different earthy satellites, is chiefly composed of crystal mixed pinch rock.

Recently, however, scientists revisited those decades-old images and data, applying modern modeling techniques and a caller perspective. By mapping Miranda's rugged, heavy cratered aboveground and comparing shape alignments, they built a compelling lawsuit for nan satellite concealing a liquid water furniture beneath its icy shell.

Their models propose that Miranda apt harbored a subsurface water astir 62 miles heavy beneath a stiff furniture astir 19 miles thick, betwixt 100 and 500 cardinal years ago. Even much astonishing is that this water whitethorn person been lukewarm capable to stay liquid, contempt Miranda's utmost region from nan Sun.

If true, nan root of Miranda's soul heating could beryllium attributed to a gravitational "dance" pinch Uranus's different moons, a process known arsenic orbital resonance, which generates capable frictional power to forestall complete freezing complete agelong timescales. Researchers estimate there's a existent anticipation that immoderate liquid could stay beneath Miranda's aboveground moreover today.

Miranda wouldn't beryllium unsocial successful nan "ocean moon" category, either. NASA's precocious launched Europa Clipper is en way to analyse a suspected subsurface water connected Jupiter's satellite Europa. This eager ngo will recreation 1.8 cardinal miles complete six years to scope its target. Last year, NASA besides examined Uranus's moons Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon for akin grounds of subsurface h2o layers.

Other candidates see Saturn's moons, Enceladus and Titan. As we research further, it seems that subsurface oceans whitethorn beryllium comparatively communal connected icy moons passim nan star system.

While NASA hasn't scheduled a ngo to Miranda conscionable yet, these findings whitethorn thief spark liking successful sending a robotic explorer backmost to study nan satellite much closely.

As Nordheim put it, "We won't cognize for judge that it moreover has an water until we spell backmost and cod much data. We're squeezing nan past spot of subject we tin from Voyager 2's images. For now, we're excited by nan possibilities and eager to return to study Uranus and its imaginable water moons successful depth."