NASA solves the mystery of the moons of Uranus: Traces of giant oceans found!

By re-examining data obtained by NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft, scientists combined new perspectives with updated computer models to focus on the presence of water, which is essential for life on the five moons of Uranus. In the researches, the five moons of Uranus; The continuing mystery about Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon, and Miranda may have been cleared.

Uranus’ moons may have giant oceans

NASA has shared on its website a new study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research that examines the five major moons of Uranus. The study focuses on Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon and Miranda, which are part of 27 moons owned by the ice giant Uranus.

NASA says the new study is the first to detail the internal structure and evolution of the major moons of Uranus. More importantly, the results, according to NASA, may have oceans tens of kilometers below the surface of each satellite. Although the studies are not based on new observations, the ground observations of Voyager 2, which examined Uranus and its surroundings in 1980, and Galileo, Cassini, Dawn and New Horizons instruments, which examined the planet again, were re-examined with new models.

The veil of mystery was opened but not fully resolved

The study revealed that the surfaces of the moons of Uranus are insulated enough to retain heat, a vital element for an object to be able to host the inner ocean. The team also found evidence of an internal heat source that releases hot liquid in the moons’ rocky mantle – another indication that a subsurface ocean may exist. There is also evidence that there is material on Ariel’s surface, perhaps relatively recently flowing from icy volcanoes, according to NASA.

On the other hand, recent thermal modeling revealed that Miranda is unlikely to have hosted water for long. According to NASA, Miranda is losing heat very quickly, and it’s likely that the water that was once liquid is now completely frozen. A similar scenario may have happened for Umbriel. Titania and Oberon may be hot enough to harbor life. There has even been strong evidence that ammonia and chlorides may be present on some satellites, according to the reports. These components act as a kind of antifreeze. However, although the veil of mystery has been opened in the light of the available data, it has not been solved. Scientists plan to make more observations for this.