Cassini data from Titan indicate a rigid, weathered ice shell

An analysis of gravity and topography data from Saturn's largest moon, Titan, has revealed unexpected features of the moon's outer ice shell. The best explanation for the findings, the authors said, is that Titan's ice shell ...

Europa's ocean ascending

This animation demonstrates how deformation in the icy surface of Europa could transport subsurface ocean water to the moon's surface.

Faraway moon mimics Earth tectonics

Jupiter's icy moon Europa may have active tectonic plates similar to those that shape the Earth, which had long been thought unique in this respect, scientists said Sunday.

Dual Drill Designed for Jupiter’s Europa Ice

NASA and the European Space Agency are sending a mission to study Jupiter and its moon Europa in 2020. There may be life in the moon’s ocean, but to find out a mission will have to be able to drill down through the overlying ...

Triton: A subsurface ocean?

Neptune's largest moon Triton is most likely a captured Kuiper Belt Object. The capture of icy Triton and the subsequent taming of its orbit likely led to the formation of a subsurface ocean through tidal heating. New research ...

Computer model explains sustained eruptions on icy Enceladus

The Cassini spacecraft has observed geysers erupting on Saturn's moon Enceladus since 2005, but the process that drives and sustains these eruptions has remained a mystery. Now, scientists at the University of Chicago and ...

On icy moon Enceladus, expansion cracks let inner ocean boil out

In 2006, the Cassini spacecraft recorded geyser curtains shooting forth from "tiger stripe" fissures near the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus—sometimes as much as 200 kilograms of water per second. A new study suggests ...

Gas insulation could be protecting an ocean inside Pluto

A gassy insulating layer beneath the icy surfaces of distant celestial objects could mean there are more oceans in the universe than previously thought. Computer simulations provide compelling evidence that an insulating ...

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