Finding the Limits of Ocean Worlds

Lab experiments with saltwater solutions have provided researchers with a range of temperatures where water remains liquid under icy world conditions.

IMAGE: This image, taken by the Galileo spacecraft in 1996, shows two views of Jupiter’s ice-covered satellite, Europa. The left image shows the approximate natural color while the right is colored to accentuate features. Europa is about 3,160 kilometers (1,950 miles) in diameter, or about the size of Earth’s moon. CREDIT: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

We’ve written before about icy worlds in our solar system and how they have liquid water under those icy shells. These worlds include the likes of Europa…