A team of researchers recently re-analyzed data obtained by the Voyager 2 probe in the 1980s, concluding that four of the planet’s largest moons, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon, may be warm enough to hold liquid oceans beneath the surface ice sheets hat reports Live Science, citing Agerpres.

In the case of the moons Titania and Oberon, these oceans may be warm enough to support life, according to a study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.

“In the case of small cosmic bodies—dwarf planets and natural moons—planetary scientists have found evidence of oceans in several places they did not expect, such as the dwarf planets Ceres and Pluto and the moon Mimas in the system. the planet Saturn,” said study coordinator Julie Castillo-Roguez of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

“So there are some mechanisms involved that we don’t fully understand,” she added.

Study of the possibility of the existence of underground oceans in the Solar System

The new study combined data obtained by Voyager 2 in the 1980s with data on other cold moons such as Charon (Pluto’s moon) or Enceladus (Saturn’s moon) from recent NASA missions such as like “Galileo”, “Cassini”. , Dawn and New Horizons.

Uranus has 27 moons, but researchers focused on the five largest of them – Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon and Miranda.

Of them, Ariel is the smallest (1,160 km in diameter), and Titania is the largest (1,580 km in diameter). Scientists previously thought that only Titanium would be large enough to generate internal heat from the decay of radioactive elements, a process in which unstable atoms lose energy, which is emitted as radiation.

But by modeling the porosity of the other moons, they concluded that all of these bodies, with the exception of Miranda, are insulated enough to keep their internal heat from radioactive decay.

The researchers believe that the potential oceans beneath the frozen crust of these natural moons may be rich in chlorides, ammonia, and salts that help lower the freezing point of water.

According to the study, the combination of these factors – low freezing temperatures and sufficient internal heat – could mean that there are tens of kilometers of deep oceans beneath the ice caps on the surface of the moons Ariel, Umbrial, Titania and Oberon.

What the computer simulation of Uranus satellites shows

In 2020, scientists discovered evidence of recent geological activity on Ariel’s surface, suggesting the possible movement of a hypothetical subglacial ocean.

Miranda also has a number of surface features that appear to be younger, but in the case of Miranda, computer simulations show that if this moon once had a subglacial ocean, it is probably completely frozen by now.

To find out if these hidden oceans really exist, scientists need to get creative. Spectrometers that can detect the wavelengths of light reflected by ammonia and chlorides can demonstrate the existence of these chemicals beneath the icy crust of these cosmic bodies.

The instruments can also be used to detect any electrical currents passing through these subglacial waters.

According to Castillo-Roges, new studies based on computer simulations that recreate how these satellites formed could also help researchers determine the type of observations they should make in the future.

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