Does Saturn’s Moon Mimas Have a Hidden Ocean?

<p>This is not the first time astronomers have suggested an underground ocean on Mimas. In 2014, a look at data from NASA&rsquo;s Cassini probe showed that the moon has a wobble in its rotation. While a slight wobble is normal (our own Moon wobbles slightly during its orbit), the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1255299" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">2014 paper</a>&nbsp;found that Mimas&rsquo; wobble was twice as much as it should have been. These findings were consistent with a subsurface ocean or an elongated core.</p> <p>The new 2024 research paper doesn&rsquo;t just account for wobbles in Mimas&rsquo; rotation; it also looks at its orbit. Analyzing Cassini data from flybys of Saturn and Mimas, the team found that Mimas&rsquo; orbit had shifted, with the point of Mimas&rsquo; closet approach to the planet changing by about 6 miles. Simulations of Mimas with an elongated core suggested that it should&rsquo;ve shifted by 12 miles instead. This discrepancy, given Mimas small size, is notable enough to suggest that the moon&rsquo;s wobble is most likely not due to an elongated core.</p> <p><a href="https://beccajean.medium.com/does-saturns-moon-mimas-have-a-hidden-ocean-c2a306485d8e"><strong>Click Here</strong></a></p>
Tags: Moon Mimas