Produced by: Tarun Mishra
Recent findings from data collected by NASA's Cassini spacecraft reveal the presence of a vast ocean beneath the icy surface of Saturn's moon Mimas.
Mimas, known for its resemblance to the "Death Star" from "Star Wars," harbours a hidden ocean beneath its icy exterior. The study was conducted by Valery Lainey, an astronomer at the Observatoire de Paris and was published in journal Nature.
The subsurface ocean on Mimas is encased within a 12-19 mile thick icy shell and is estimated to have formed relatively recently, between 5 and 15 million years ago.
The discovery positions Mimas as an intriguing candidate for Astro biological studies, offering insights into the origins of life and the conditions necessary for its emergence in the cosmos.
Mimas now joins the ranks of moons with evidence of subsurface oceans, alongside Saturn's Enceladus and Titan, as well as Jupiter's Europa and Ganymede.
The presence of an internal ocean suggests a significant heat source within Mimas, believed to be generated by periodic deformations caused by its elliptical orbit around Saturn.
The contact between Mimas' water and rocky core could facilitate complex chemical reactions, potentially laying the groundwork for biological processes.
While Mimas' nascent ocean poses challenges for the emergence of life due to its youthfulness, the exact timeline for life's origin remains uncertain.