Space & Astronomy

Subsurface ocean discovered on Ganymede

By T.K. Randall
March 13, 2015 ·   comments

Ganymede could be another good place to look for life. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Scientists are now more convinced than ever that Ganymede, which despite being a moon is actually even larger than the planet Mercury, is home to a large subsurface ocean of liquid water.

The findings are based on data from the Hubble Space Telescope which points to a saltwater ocean as the best explanation for the behavior of Ganymede's polar aurorae which rock back and forth as its magnetic field interacts with that of Jupiter.The discovery has helped to put the Jovian moon on the map as one of the best places to look for evidence of extraterrestrial life. Ganymede was previously investigated by NASA's Galileo probe and a new European mission is planning to go in to orbit around it some time in the 2030s.

"The Solar System is now looking like a pretty soggy place," said NASA's Jim Green.

Source: BBC News | Comments ()

Tags: Ganymede, Jupiter