Ocean Found On Saturn's Moon That Resembles The Death Star

Astronomers obtained data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, which studied Saturn for 13 years before plunging into its atmosphere. The moon in question is Mimas, the seventh largest of Saturn’s 100 moons, the largest of which, Titan, is bigger than the planet Mercury. Mimas is known for its resemblance to the Death Star in the original 'Star Wars' trilogy, thanks to the Hershel crater, which covers 1/3 of its face. Researchers believe a subsurface ocean is hidden under its crater-scarred outer shell, buried beneath 12-19 miles of ice. The ocean is believed to have formed between 5 and 15 million years ago, which, in cosmic terms, is very recent. "At first glance, it is the most unlikely place in the solar system to look for liquid water. It looks old and inactive, with a huge number of craters. Nothing betrays the ocean’s existence, at the moment," said Valery Lainey of the Observatoire de Paris in a study published in the journal 'Nature.'

While Cassini failed to see any deformations to suggest there is an ocean below the surface on Mimas, researchers say its orbit suggests one is. Scientists say a strong heat source in the moon turned ice into an ocean and believe Saturn's gravitational forces exerted change along its orbit. "This results in periodic deformation of Mimas’ interior and part of the energy involved in these deformations is converted into heat," said Gabriel Tobie of CNRS, who was a co-author of the study. He added, “Mimas may offer a unique opportunity to explore the first stage of life’s development,” as it has the basic ingredients for life. They are warmth, water and organic compounds. Mimas is the smallest of the 5 moons in our solar system believed to contain subsurface oceans.