Scientists have discovered that the formation of oceans beneath icy moons could cause water to boil due to low pressure.
Researchers used computer models to simulate the effects of ocean melting on small, icy moons like Enceladus and Mimas. They found that in these moons, the interior can shrink as it melts, creating a low-pressure area under the ice shell. This low pressure is enough to cause boiling water at temperatures just above freezing point.
The study's authors warn that we don't know what happens to the gases released from the melting ocean yet, but they suggest it could lead to new fractures and features on the surface of these moons.
To determine which moons can boil their oceans, scientists used a general model of an ice-covered ocean. They found that only three of the moons examined would experience boiling: Enceladus, Mimas, and Miranda, which orbits Uranus.
Boiling occurs when pressure becomes too low to support liquid water, but not so low that it vaporizes completely. The researchers say that if a moon is small enough, its gravitational pull won't be strong enough to hold the ice shell together, resulting in boiling oceans.
This new discovery could provide insights into the geological history and behavior of icy moons like Enceladus and Mimas, which scientists believe have oceans beneath their icy surfaces.
Researchers used computer models to simulate the effects of ocean melting on small, icy moons like Enceladus and Mimas. They found that in these moons, the interior can shrink as it melts, creating a low-pressure area under the ice shell. This low pressure is enough to cause boiling water at temperatures just above freezing point.
The study's authors warn that we don't know what happens to the gases released from the melting ocean yet, but they suggest it could lead to new fractures and features on the surface of these moons.
To determine which moons can boil their oceans, scientists used a general model of an ice-covered ocean. They found that only three of the moons examined would experience boiling: Enceladus, Mimas, and Miranda, which orbits Uranus.
Boiling occurs when pressure becomes too low to support liquid water, but not so low that it vaporizes completely. The researchers say that if a moon is small enough, its gravitational pull won't be strong enough to hold the ice shell together, resulting in boiling oceans.
This new discovery could provide insights into the geological history and behavior of icy moons like Enceladus and Mimas, which scientists believe have oceans beneath their icy surfaces.
, can you imagine water boiling on a moon? It's like something out of sci-fi! But seriously, the fact that they found 3 moons (Enceladus, Mimas, and Miranda) with boiling oceans is crazy cool. I wonder what happens to those gases released from the melting ocean... maybe it'll lead to some awesome new features on their surfaces 
. And it's so cool how scientists used computer models to simulate this stuff - basically building virtual chains of discussion to test out theories 
. The fact that these moons have oceans beneath their icy shells is already pretty mind-blowing, but now we're learning more about what happens when those oceans start to boil 
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And btw, who needs computer models when you can just observe these moons in person? I mean, that's not like we're missing out on anything by sending robots to explore them .
. I wonder if we'll ever get to explore these places in person and see it all go down firsthand 
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. I mean, we're talking about moons that are basically just floating around in space, and suddenly they can start boiling and creating new features on their surface. It's like something straight out of a sci-fi movie! But at the same time, this is exactly why scientists do what they do - to explore these mysteries and learn more about our universe 
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Anyway, it got me thinking... what if there are other moons like Enceladus and Mimas out there? Could they also have boiling oceans? Maybe we should start searching for more of these small icy moons to see if they're a thing too? 
That would be so cool! 
also i wonder how this affects the atmosphere of these moons, maybe we can learn something new from icy moons and apply it to our climate control systems in school 
. anyway, I'm kinda impressed by these scientists who figured this out using computer models 
. can you even imagine having to deal with the pressure on those icy moon surfaces? it's like they're living in some kind of sci-fi movie... but hey, at least we know now and that's kinda cool 
