Ganymede, the biggest moon of Jupiter and also the biggest in our solar system, is found to harbor a salt water ocean beneath its icy surface. NASA confirmed and stated that they have convincing evidence regarding the ocean on Ganymede. This discovery was made with the Hubble Space telescope.
According to the new Hubble observations, the ocean on Ganymede seems to have more water than that present on earth. The ocean is said to be suppressed 95 miles under the icy surface of the moon. Scientists also assume that the ocean has a thickness of 60 miles, which is 10 times more than the oceans present on Earth.
Previously, the Galileo probe of NASA during its observation of Jupiter and its moons since 1995 to 2003 also hinted on the presence of an ocean on the subsurface of Ganymede.
Numerous bodies in our solar system are assumed to have oceans but there is no convincing evidence available. This is the first confirmed news of an ocean present on a solar body apart from Earth.
Scientists repeatedly collected more than seven hours of data of the Hubble observations and analyzed it.
There are two auroras present on Ganymede, one around the North Pole and the other around the South Pole. Both are created by the magnetic field of the moon.
An aurora is a colorful effect made by the charged particles when they interact with an atmosphere. The presence of an aurora does not determine the existence of an ocean but the presence of an ocean changes the behavior of an aurora. According to the new research, the auroras of Ganymede move only two degrees as compared to moving six degrees if the ocean was absent.
"Jupiter is like a lighthouse whose magnetic field changes with the rotation of the lighthouse. It influences the aurora," said Joachim Saur, a geophysicist, Germany. "With the ocean, the rocking is significantly reduced."
This discovery adds weight to the theory of alien life. NASA is now planning to launch an expedition on Ganymede to search for life forms that originate from water.
