The Hindu : Page 07
Syllabus : Prelims Fact
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope found evidence of a subsurface ocean on Uranus’s moon Ariel, which explains the presence of frozen CO2 on its surface.
- Carbon monoxide and carbonite minerals suggest that a hidden ocean may be supplying CO2 and interacting with Ariel’s surface, requiring further investigation.
- Triton’s retrograde rotation is explained by its shared origin with Pluto before being captured by Neptune.
- Another mystery involves Uranus’s moon Ariel, which has frozen CO2 on its surface despite its distance from the Sun.
- On July 24, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) detected signs of a liquid ocean beneath Ariel’s surface.
- Carbon monoxide discovery suggests Ariel’s surface temperature might be 18 degrees Celsius lower than currently estimated, or that a subsurface ocean is producing carbon oxides.
- Cracks and grooves on Ariel could allow icy slope and compounds to escape to the surface.
- JWST also found carbonite minerals, indicating possible interaction between water and rocks.
- Further studies and missions are required to verify these findings and explore if Ariel is another water-bearing moon.
UPSC Prelims Practice Question
Ques : Apart from the planets and satellites, there are numerous tiny bodies which also move around the sun. These bodies are called _______
a) Meteorites
b) Galaxies
c) Asteroids
d) More than one of the above
Ans: c)
