* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Monday, September 15, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment

    From Spinal Tap II to Ed Sheeran : your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead – The Guardian

    Fall’s Hottest Ski Films Are Going on Tour—Here’s the List – yahoo.com

    Experience the Thrill: Fall’s Hottest Ski Films Hit the Road-Don’t Miss the Tour!

    Ryan Reynolds reveals he called a journalist who said mean things about John Candy – yahoo.com

    Ryan Reynolds Reveals the Moment He Stood Up to a Journalist Who Insulted John Candy

    Entertainment Community Fund Launches Program Supporting Entrepreneurs – Playbill

    Entertainment Community Fund Unveils Exciting New Program to Empower Entrepreneurs

    Behind the turntables: DJ Johnny Kage’s story of perseverance – yahoo.com

    Behind the Turntables: DJ Johnny Kage’s Inspiring Journey of Perseverance

    The other WWE star James Gunn wanted for Peacemaker instead of John Cena – yahoo.com

    The WWE Star James Gunn Originally Wanted for Peacemaker Instead of John Cena

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology

    Unlocking AI Success: How People, Process, and Technology Form the Ultimate Triangle

    Billion-dollar coffins? New technology could make oceans transparent and Aukus submarines vulnerable – The Guardian

    Billion-Dollar Coffins? How New Technology Could Make Oceans Transparent and Expose Submarines

    What if artificial intelligence is just a “normal” technology? – The Economist

    What if artificial intelligence is just a “normal” technology? – The Economist

    Lincoln Trail College Receives $100,000 Grant from Marathon Petroleum Corporation for Technology Center – wwbl.com

    Lincoln Trail College Lands $100,000 Grant from Marathon Petroleum to Elevate Technology Center

    Aston Martin to integrate Pirelli’s cyber tyre technology in future models – Just Auto

    Aston Martin to Revolutionize Future Models with Pirelli’s Cutting-Edge Cyber Tyre Technology

    Figure Technology’s stock sizzles after IPO, as investors stay hungry for crypto deals – MarketWatch

    Figure Technology’s Stock Skyrockets After IPO Amid Surging Crypto Investor Excitement

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment

    From Spinal Tap II to Ed Sheeran : your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead – The Guardian

    Fall’s Hottest Ski Films Are Going on Tour—Here’s the List – yahoo.com

    Experience the Thrill: Fall’s Hottest Ski Films Hit the Road-Don’t Miss the Tour!

    Ryan Reynolds reveals he called a journalist who said mean things about John Candy – yahoo.com

    Ryan Reynolds Reveals the Moment He Stood Up to a Journalist Who Insulted John Candy

    Entertainment Community Fund Launches Program Supporting Entrepreneurs – Playbill

    Entertainment Community Fund Unveils Exciting New Program to Empower Entrepreneurs

    Behind the turntables: DJ Johnny Kage’s story of perseverance – yahoo.com

    Behind the Turntables: DJ Johnny Kage’s Inspiring Journey of Perseverance

    The other WWE star James Gunn wanted for Peacemaker instead of John Cena – yahoo.com

    The WWE Star James Gunn Originally Wanted for Peacemaker Instead of John Cena

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology

    Unlocking AI Success: How People, Process, and Technology Form the Ultimate Triangle

    Billion-dollar coffins? New technology could make oceans transparent and Aukus submarines vulnerable – The Guardian

    Billion-Dollar Coffins? How New Technology Could Make Oceans Transparent and Expose Submarines

    What if artificial intelligence is just a “normal” technology? – The Economist

    What if artificial intelligence is just a “normal” technology? – The Economist

    Lincoln Trail College Receives $100,000 Grant from Marathon Petroleum Corporation for Technology Center – wwbl.com

    Lincoln Trail College Lands $100,000 Grant from Marathon Petroleum to Elevate Technology Center

    Aston Martin to integrate Pirelli’s cyber tyre technology in future models – Just Auto

    Aston Martin to Revolutionize Future Models with Pirelli’s Cutting-Edge Cyber Tyre Technology

    Figure Technology’s stock sizzles after IPO, as investors stay hungry for crypto deals – MarketWatch

    Figure Technology’s Stock Skyrockets After IPO Amid Surging Crypto Investor Excitement

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

A moon of Uranus could have a hidden ocean, James Webb Space Telescope finds

July 27, 2024
in Science
A moon of Uranus could have a hidden ocean, James Webb Space Telescope finds
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A large glowing blue sphere next to an overlapping smaller grey sphere with a craggy texture

An illustration shows the moon Ariel orbiting the ice giant Uranus.
(Image credit: Robert Lea (created with Canva)/NASA)

Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers discovered that Ariel, a moon of Uranus, could be hiding in a buried liquid water ocean. 

The discovery could supply an answer to a mystery surrounding this Uranian moon that has perplexed scientists: the fact Ariel’s surface is covered with a significant amount of carbon dioxide ice. This is puzzling because at the distance Uranus and its moons exist from the sun, 20 times further out from the sun than Earth, carbon dioxide turns to gas and is lost to space. This means some process must refresh the carbon dioxide at the surface of Ariel.

Previous theories have suggested this happens as a result of interactions between Ariel’s surface and charged particles trapped in Uranus’ magnetosphere that provide ionizing radiation, breaking down molecules and leaving carbon dioxide, a process called “radiolysis.”

However, new evidence from the JWST suggests the source of this carbon dioxide could come not from outside Ariel but from its interior, possibly from a buried subsurface ocean.

Related: ‘Traffic jams’ around Uranus could solve the mystery of its weak radiation belts

a blue-and-white disc surrounded by concentric rings of white, green, and blue

Uranus and its rings as seen by the James Webb Space Telescope in 2023. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI)

Because chemical elements and molecules absorb and emit light at characteristic wavelengths, they leave individual “fingerprints” on spectra. The team behind this discovery used the JWST to gather spectra of light from Ariel, which helped them paint a picture of the chemical makeup of the Uranian moon. 

Comparing this to simulated spectra from a chemical mix in the lab here on Earth revealed to the team that Ariel has some of the most carbon dioxide-rich deposits in the solar system. Not only did this add an extra 10 millimeters (0.4 inches) of thickness to the ice on the side of the tidally locked Ariel that permanently faces away from Uranus, but it also revealed clear deposits of carbon monoxide for the first time.

Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

“It just shouldn’t be there. You’ve got to get down to 30 kelvins [minus 405 degrees Fahrenheit] before carbon monoxide’s stable,” team leader Richard Cartwright from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) said in a statement. “The carbon monoxide would have to be actively replenished, no question.”

That’s because Ariel’s surface temperature is, on average, around 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius) warmer than this key temperature.

Cartwright acknowledges that radiolysis could account for some of this replenishment. However, observations from Voyager 2’s 1986 flyby of Uranus and its moons and other recent findings have suggested that the interactions behind radiolysis could be limited because Uranus’ magnetic field axis and the orbital plane of its moons are offset from each other by about 58 degrees.

That means that the majority of the carbon/oxygen compounds seen on Ariel’s surface could be created by chemical processes in a liquid water ocean trapped under ice on Ariel.

Cool customer Ariel may have a volcanic temper

Once created in the seep water ocean of Ariel, these carbon oxides could then escape through cracks in the icy shell of the Uranian moon or could even be explosively ejected by powerful eruptive plumes.

A highly shadowed white and grey sphere

The most detailed Voyager 2 picture of Ariel, a moon of Uranus, taken in 1986.  (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Scientists have suspected for some time that the cracked and scarred surface of Ariel may indicate the presence of active cryovolcanoes, volcanoes that erupt plumes of icy slush rather than lava. These plumes could be so powerful that they launch material into Uranus’s magnetic field.

The majority of the cracks and grooves seen on the surface of Ariel are located on the side of the moon that faces away from Uranus. If carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are leaking from these features to the surface of the Uranian moon, this could explain why these compounds are found in greater abundance on this trailing side of the icy body.

The JWST also picked up more chemical evidence of a subsurface liquid water ocean. Spectral analysis hinted at the presence of carbonite minerals, salts created when rock meets and interacts with liquid water.

“If our interpretation of that carbonate feature is correct, then that is a pretty big result because it means it had to form in the interior,” Cartwright explained. “That’s something we absolutely need to confirm, either through future observations, modeling, or some combination of techniques.”

Uranus and its moons haven’t been visited by a spacecraft since Voyager 2 almost four decades ago, and this wasn’t even the spacecraft’s primary mission. In 2023, the Planetary Science and Astrobiology decadal survey emphasized the need to prioritize a dedicated mission to the Uranian system.

Cartwright believes such a mission would present an opportunity to collect valuable information about Uranus and Neptune, the solar system’s other ice giant. Such a mission could also deliver vital data about the other potentially ocean-bearing moons of these systems. This information could then be applied to extrasolar planets, or “exoplanets,” beyond the solar system.

“All these new insights underscore how compelling the Uranian system is,” team member and NASA Applied Physics Laboratory scientist Ian Cohen said. “Whether it’s to unlock the keys to how the solar system formed, better understand the planet’s complex magnetosphere, or determine whether these moons are potential ocean worlds, many of us in the planetary science community are really looking forward to a future mission to explore Uranus.”

The team’s research was published on Wednesday (July 24) in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.’s Open University. Follow him on Twitter @sciencef1rst.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Space.com – https://www.space.com/uranus-moon-ariel-hidden-ocean-james-webb-space-telescope

Tags: HiddenscienceUranus
Previous Post

Sun blasts out most powerful flare of current solar cycle, sends massive coronal mass ejection into space (video)

Next Post

SpaceX’s historic Polaris Dawn astronaut mission delayed until mid-August

Underdogs Czechia take out Serbia in straight sets at Men’s Volleyball World Championship – Volleyball World

Underdogs Czechia take out Serbia in straight sets at Men’s Volleyball World Championship – Volleyball World

September 15, 2025
The Market Isn’t Lagging – It’s Distorted: Why Investors Must Stop Treating the S&P as the Economy’s Crystal Ball – MSN

The Market Isn’t Lagging – It’s Distorted: Why Investors Must Stop Treating the S&P as the Economy’s Crystal Ball – MSN

September 15, 2025

From Spinal Tap II to Ed Sheeran : your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead – The Guardian

September 15, 2025
A multibillion-dollar oil project is impacting locals’ health and livelihood in Uganda – NPR

Multibillion-Dollar Oil Project Threatens Health and Livelihoods of Ugandan Communities

September 15, 2025
Politics chat: Assassination of Charlie Kirk and the rise of political violence – NPR

The Alarming Rise in Political Violence and the Threat Facing Charlie Kirk

September 15, 2025
Washington takes on flawed federal climate report – NewsRadio 560 KPQ

Washington Challenges Key Flaws in Federal Climate Report

September 14, 2025
James Webb telescope’s ‘starlit mountaintop’ could be the observatory’s best image yet — Space photo of the week – Live Science

James Webb Telescope Unveils Stunning ‘Starlit Mountaintop’ – Perhaps Its Most Breathtaking Image Yet

September 14, 2025

Colby College Announces Exciting New $150 Million Science Facility Funded by Anonymous Donor

September 14, 2025
Maine Coon Cat’s Sweet Love Story With Tiny Sphynx Kitty Is Touching Hearts – yahoo.com

Adorable Maine Coon and Tiny Sphynx Share a Heartwarming Love Story

September 14, 2025

Unlocking AI Success: How People, Process, and Technology Form the Ultimate Triangle

September 14, 2025

Categories

Archives

September 2025
MTWTFSS
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930 
« Aug    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (820)
  • Economy (840)
  • Entertainment (21,718)
  • General (17,042)
  • Health (9,884)
  • Lifestyle (855)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (843)
  • Politics (849)
  • Science (16,050)
  • Sports (21,340)
  • Technology (15,822)
  • World (823)

Recent News

Underdogs Czechia take out Serbia in straight sets at Men’s Volleyball World Championship – Volleyball World

Underdogs Czechia take out Serbia in straight sets at Men’s Volleyball World Championship – Volleyball World

September 15, 2025
The Market Isn’t Lagging – It’s Distorted: Why Investors Must Stop Treating the S&P as the Economy’s Crystal Ball – MSN

The Market Isn’t Lagging – It’s Distorted: Why Investors Must Stop Treating the S&P as the Economy’s Crystal Ball – MSN

September 15, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version