Book 8, Question 109
Why Might Icy Moons Hide Oceans?
Icy moons might hide oceans because a giant planet's pull can flex them and make heat inside! That inner warmth can melt some of the ice deep down. So under a thick ice shell, there may be a hidden ocean of liquid water.
More fun facts
- Powerful tidal forces from Saturn heat the inside of its moon Mimas.
- Friction from water sloshing against the moon's core also makes heat, which keeps the ocean from freezing.
- Scientists were surprised to find signs that Saturn's small moon Mimas may hide an ocean under its ice.
- Mimas wobbles in a way best explained by an icy shell sliding on top of a liquid ocean.
- On Saturn's moon Enceladus, evidence points to hot vents deep under the ice, like the hydrothermal vents on Earth's seafloor.
- Europa and Enceladus shoot water vapor or geysers above their surfaces, which could make them easier to study.
Sources: Smithsonian Magazine, Scientific American, NASA Science
Questions kids ask
Which moons might have hidden oceans?
Europa, Enceladus and possibly Mimas are some of them.