ARIEL’S SURFACE - GEOGRAPHY
News: NASA’s James
Webb Space Telescope discovered evidence of a subsurface ocean on Uranus’s moon
Ariel, which accounts for the presence of frozen CO2 on its surface.
What’s in the news?
Key Findings:
- Findings
:The presence of carbon monoxide on Ariel suggests
either lower surface temperatures or a subsurface ocean generating carbon
oxides.
- Implications: Cracks
and grooves on Ariel’s surface may indicate the eruption of icy materials
and carbon compounds.
- Additionally,
signs of carbonate minerals point to water-rock interactions, potentially
identifying Ariel as another moon with water.
About the Uranus Mission:
- Launch: Scheduled
for 2031/32 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy.
- Journey: Will
include a gravity assist from Jupiter, arriving around 2044/45.
- Objectives: To
investigate Uranus’ interior, with an orbiter studying its atmosphere,
magnetosphere, and moons.
- Scientific
Interest: To explore five large moons for
insights into ocean worlds.
About Uranus:
- Position: The
seventh planet from the Sun, discovered by William Herschel in 1781.
- Classification: A
gas giant with an unusual axial tilt of 98°, leading to extreme seasonal
changes.
Unique Features:
- Tilted
Axis: Rolls along its orbit due to its extreme
axial tilt.
- Rings: 13
faint rings were discovered in 1977.
- Moons: 27
moons, including Titania, Oberon, Ariel, and Miranda.
Physical Characteristics:
- Size
& Mass: Diameter of approximately
50,724 km; third-largest by diameter and fourth-largest by mass.
- Composition: Predominantly
hydrogen and helium, with methane contributing to its blue-green color.
- Atmosphere: Features
cloud bands, high-speed winds, and temperatures as low as -224°C.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/science/hidden-ocean-in-uranus-moon-ariel-nasas-james-telescope-close-to-a-new-discovery/articleshow/112056674.cms