Uranus' two largest moons might be hiding vast oceans underneath surface: Study

Uranus, the seventh-largest planet in our solar system, might be hiding huge oceans in two of its moons- Titania and Oberon, as per a new study. Out of 27 known moons of Uranus, the aforementioned duo are the largest and the second-largest respectively. Both the moons are known to have radioactive elements buried deep inside and have surface temperatures of 200°C which makes experts speculate if those elements could have melted the ice into water. 

In an interview with New Scientist, study author from the University of California Francis Nimmo was reported saying, “I’d bet they do have oceans. It would not be at all surprising.'

Both moons could support oceans: Study

According to a report by Daily Mail, both Titania and Oberon are massive orbiting bodies that have a diameter of 1,576km and 1,522km respectively and revolve around Uranus that orbits the sun billions of kilometres away from the Earth. The study says the small moons of Uranus, which orbit closer to the planet than the two biggest moons, are relatively warmer due to tidal heating- the process where the core gets heated due to the gravitational pull of a planet. However, moons like Titania and Oberon revolving at a farther distance cannot experience the process of tidal heating owing to their distance from the parent planet. 

This new study suggests that the ice of these two moons can still undergo melting due to other factors. As per the study, the prevention of the said oceans from freezing depends on how porous the surface of a moon is. It is known that the more pores a moon has on its surface, the faster it will lose heat turning water into ice. The presence of ammonia in the water is also a factor as higher amounts of ammonia would lower the liquid’s melting temperature. A simulation run by the researchers revealed that Titania could support an ocean one kilometre below its surface if it has an ice shell porosity of 10-20% ammonia in its waters. According to Daily Mail, scientists are developing technologies to detect oceans on five moons of Uranus- Oberon, Titania, Umbriel, Ariel and Miranda, which they will utilise in future missions.

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