Tag

Tidal Heating

All articles tagged with #tidal heating

science14 hours ago•13 min saved

Starless Rogue-Moon Orbits Could Sustain Long-Lived Subsurface Oceans

A 2025 arXiv modelling study suggests moons bound to planets ejected by supernovae could remain in interstellar space and heat internal oceans via tidal flexing, potentially keeping subsurface oceans for billions of years without sunlight. In simulations, 12–15% of cases yielded heating within the Europa/Enceladus range; surfaces would stay frozen and oceans would be buried, but the internal heat could sustain liquid water. The work is theoretical and depends on model inputs, and no confirmed rogue-planet moons have been observed yet; still, it widens habitable-setting thinking beyond star warmth.

via Space Daily|

#exomoons #habitability #rogue-planets

space18 days ago•11 min saved

Europa's Fresh Surface Hints at a Hidden Ocean

Europa’s surface is unusually crater-free, implying a young, constantly renewed ice crust. Tidal heating from Jupiter sustains internal warmth, likely keeping a global salty ocean beneath the ice; ridges, chaos terrain and possible plumes point to ongoing resurfacing that erases craters. The Europa Clipper and ESA’s JUICE missions will map the ice and probe for direct ocean evidence to test these ideas.

via Space Daily|

#europa #icy-moon #jupiter

space21 days ago•10 min saved

Enceladus' hidden ocean may have stayed warm long enough for life

Enceladus, a ~500-km Saturnian moon, vents water vapour and ice grains from a global salty ocean beneath its ice shell. Cassini data reveal molecular hydrogen—a sign of hydrothermal activity—and 2023 analyses detected phosphates, supplying essential ingredients for life. Modelling suggests tidal heating could keep the ocean warm and chemically active for geological timescales, meaning there could have been a long window for life to emerge—though this is about opportunity, not evidence of life. Proposals for missions to sample the plume or surface exist, but for now the headline is that a tiny moon may hide a long-lived, life-friendly ocean.

via Space Daily|

#astrobiology #enceladus #ocean-world

space3 months ago•75 min saved

Rogue planets' moons may host billions of years of habitability

Astronomers propose that moons orbiting free-floating, starless rogue planets could stay warm enough for liquid water for billions of years thanks to tidal heating and hydrogen-dominated atmospheres that trap heat via collision-induced absorption (CIA). Using radiative-transfer (HELIOS) and chemistry (GGchem) codes, the study shows such exomoons could maintain long-term habitability even without a sun, though the models rely on simplifications (e.g., dry atmospheres, constant gravity) and future work will add clouds and water-vapor effects. This expands the search for life beyond traditional, star‑dependent habitable zones.

via Space|

#exomoons #habitability #hydrogen-atmosphere

space-exploration3 months ago•53 min saved

Dark-world oceans: moons around sunless rogue planets could harbor life for billions of years

New simulations suggest Earth-sized moons orbiting free-floating, starless rogue planets could remain warm enough to keep liquid water on their surfaces for up to 4.3 billion years, thanks to tidal heating and insulating hydrogen atmospheres, potentially expanding habitable environments beyond traditional stellar zones.

via Space|

#exomoon #habitability #liquid-water

space4 months ago•5 min saved

Rogue-Planet Moons Could Harbor Liquid Water Without a Star

Researchers suggest exomoons orbiting rogue planets—worlds ejected from their stars—could sustain liquid water for up to 4.3 billion years if their hydrogen-rich atmospheres trap heat via high-pressure molecular interactions, with tidal heating from the host planet providing the energy, offering a plausible path to habitability without a sun.

via ScienceAlert|

#exomoons #habitability #hydrogen-atmosphere

science9 months ago•3 min saved

Relativity's Role in Unlocking Habitability Around White Dwarfs

New research suggests that planets orbiting white dwarf stars may be more habitable than previously thought due to the effects of Einstein's general relativity, which stabilizes their orbits and prevents excessive tidal heating that would otherwise render them uninhabitable.

via Live Science|

#exoplanets #general-relativity #habitability

science1 year ago•11 min saved

Unveiling the Secrets of Io, Jupiter's Volcanic Moon

Recent NASA Juno spacecraft data suggest that Io, Jupiter's volcanic moon, does not have a shallow magma ocean as previously thought, challenging existing theories about its intense volcanism driven by tidal heating, and raising questions about the internal structures of other tidally heated moons like Europa and Enceladus.

via WIRED|

#io #jupiter #magma-ocean

space-science2 years ago•4 min saved

"Saturn's Moon Mimas: Uncovering the Hidden Ocean"

Researchers have proposed that Saturn's moon Mimas may have developed a vast buried ocean due to the planet's gravitational pull, causing the moon's icy shell to melt and thin. This discovery challenges previous assumptions about the potential for subsurface oceans on small moons and could impact the search for life in the solar system. The ocean is estimated to be relatively young, between 2 million and 25 million years old, and accounts for a significant portion of Mimas' volume. The process of tidal heating, driven by the moon's elliptical orbit, is believed to be responsible for the current thinning of the icy shell. This research sheds new light on the formation of subsurface seas and suggests that Mimas may be in a particularly interesting phase of its evolution.

via Space.com|

#mimas #moon #ocean

space2 years ago•2 min saved

Mapping Io's Volcanic Activity: Insights into Tidal Heating Concentration

NASA's Juno probe has provided the first charted map of Jupiter's moon Io, revealing over 200 active volcanoes on its surface. The data suggests that Io may have a global ocean of magma underneath its surface and mysteriously warm poles. The extreme volcanic activity is believed to be caused by tidal heating generated by Jupiter's gravitational forces. The concentration of volcanoes on the moon's poles is roughly the same as elsewhere, but they emit less energy. The north pole volcanoes are more than twice as energetic as those in the south, possibly due to differences in crust thickness.

via Giant Freakin Robot|

#jupiters-moon-io #mapping #nasas-juno-probe

spaceplanetary-science2 years ago•3 min saved

Unveiling Io's Volcanic Secrets: Global Insights into Tidal Heating

A global study of Io's volcanic activity suggests that the moon's tidal heating is concentrated within its upper mantle. By analyzing data from sensors measuring heat emission, researchers found that the moon emits 60% more heat along its lower latitudes, indicating that the heat responsible for volcanic activity is located just below the surface. This suggests the possibility of a soft upper mantle or even a molten ocean beneath Io's crust.

via Phys.org|

#io #jupiters-moon #spaceplanetary-science

science-and-astronomy2 years ago•3 min saved

Mapping the Fiery Landscape: Unveiling Jupiter's Moon Io's Active Volcanoes

Scientists have created the first global map of volcanic activity on Jupiter's moon Io using data from NASA's Juno probe. The map reveals 266 active volcanic hotspots, shedding light on the moon's inner mechanics and suggesting the presence of a global magma ocean beneath its surface. The study also found that Io's poles are unusually warm and that the volcanoes at the north pole are more energetic than those at the south pole. The findings provide valuable insights into the extreme volcanic activity on Io, which is primarily caused by tidal heating from Jupiter.

via Space.com|

#jupiters-moon-io #magma-ocean #nasas-juno-probe

space2 years ago•13 min saved

Unfrozen Mysteries: Exploring Icy Oceans on Distant Moons

Moons orbiting Jupiter and Saturn, such as Europa and Enceladus, have subsurface oceans that defy expectations of being frozen solid. Scientists are still trying to understand why these oceans exist, as the residual heat from their creation should have dissipated long ago. Possible explanations include tidal heating caused by gravitational interactions with neighboring moons, radioactive decay of elements within the moons, and the presence of certain chemicals that act as antifreeze. The upcoming missions of the European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer and NASA's Europa Clipper aim to gather more data and confirm the existence of these oceans, potentially shedding light on the possibility of life beyond Earth.

via Quanta Magazine|

#enceladus #europa #moons

astronomy3 years ago•3 min saved

"Potential for Habitable Exoplanets in the Billions, Study Finds"

A recent study by the University of Florida examined the orbital eccentricities of exoplanets orbiting red dwarf stars and found that one-third of them could exist within their star’s habitable zone, which could encompass hundreds of millions of potentially habitable exoplanets throughout the Milky Way. The researchers also discovered that red dwarfs with multiple exoplanets held the highest promise of exhibiting more circular orbits, meaning they could house liquid water on their surfaces. The study used data from NASA’s Kepler mission, which confirmed the existence of almost 2,800 exoplanets during its 9-year mission.

via Inverse|

#astronomy #exoplanets #habitable-zone

science3 years ago•3 min saved

New Study Reveals Potential for Hundreds of Millions of Habitable Planets in the Milky Way.

A new study suggests that one-third of planets around M dwarfs, the most common type of star in the Milky Way, may be suitable for life, meaning there are likely hundreds of millions of habitable planets in the galaxy alone. The study used data from the Kepler mission and the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite to fine-tune measurements of exoplanets' orbits and determine which planets were at risk of tidal heating, a process that can burn away a planet's chances for habitability. The results were published in the journal PNAS.

via Livescience.com|

#habitable-planets #kepler-mission #m-dwarfs