| Title | Saturn's Moon Mimas May Have an Internal Ocean | |
| Date | Monday January 24 2022, @12:08AM | |
| Author | martyb | |
| Topic | ||
| from the dept. | ||
SwRI scientist uncovers evidence for an internal ocean in small Saturn moon
A Southwest Research Institute scientist set out to prove that the tiny, innermost moon of Saturn was a frozen inert satellite and instead discovered compelling evidence that Mimas has a liquid internal ocean. In the waning days of NASA's Cassini mission, the spacecraft identified a curious libration, or oscillation, in the moon's rotation, which often points to a geologically active body able to support an internal ocean.
"If Mimas has an ocean, it represents a new class of small, 'stealth' ocean worlds with surfaces that do not betray the ocean's existence," said SwRI's Dr. Alyssa Rhoden, a specialist in the geophysics of icy satellites, particularly those containing oceans, and the evolution of giant planet satellites systems.
Mimas (the Death Star one). List of largest lakes and seas in the Solar System.
The case for an ocean-bearing Mimas from tidal heating analysis (DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2021.114872)
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