--- title: "Mimas, Saturn's smallest moon, may have an ocean under its frozen surface." description: "Mimas, Saturn's moon, rotates erratically, which experts say indicates an extended core or an interior ocean." author: "Vallabha Buddepu" published: 2022-01-30 canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/news/1315/mimas-saturn-s-smallest-moon-may-have-an-ocean-under-its-frozen-surface category: "space and research" tags: ["satellite assembly", "technology", "technology news", "space science"] reading_time: 2 minutes --- # Mimas, Saturn's smallest moon, may have an ocean under its frozen surface. ## HIGHLIGHTS Mimas' rotation is shaky. It might be owing to the fact that it has an underwater ocean. The snowy surface of Mimas distinguishes it. ## WHY IN [NEWS](https://www.mindstick.com/developersection/news) Saturn, the [Solar System](https://www.mindstick.com/news/1792/the-images-of-the-largest-canyons-in-the-solar-system-were-available-through-esa-s-mars-express)'s second-[largest planet](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/100572/what-s-the-largest-planet-in-our-solar-system) after Jupiter, has long piqued the interest of amateur astronomers [as well as](https://www.mindstick.com/interview/2481/can-you-write-a-java-class-that-could-be-used-both-as-an-applet-as-well-as-an-application) experts. It is immediately identifiable due to the large rings that surround it. It does, however, have another notable feature: more than 60 moons. One of these moons has lately piqued the curiosity of scientists. Mimas, a small moon circling the planet, may be hiding an ocean beneath its icy surface, according to new study. Saturn is the only planet with a density lower than that of water, which means the Ringed Planet would float in a bathtub large enough to accommodate it. Mimas rotates in a wobbling manner, which experts say indicates an extended core or an interior ocean. **also read :** https://tinyurl.com/paryvsp2 Mimas, on the other hand, displays no signs of an ocean under its surface, unlike other moons with seas. It might be, according to research published in the Icarus magazine. Alyssa Rhoden and her colleague Matthew Walker, like many other scientists, had set out to refute the ocean idea until they realized it may really retain water beneath 14–20 miles of ice . Because Mimas' surface is extensively cratered, Rhoden and her colleague assumed it was merely a frozen block of ice, according to Rhoden, an expert in the geophysics of icy satellites and co-leader of NASA's Network for Ocean Worlds Research [Coordination](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/72258/who-was-launching-a-new-scheme-indian-cyber-crime-coordination-centre-i4c-to-combat-cybercrime-in-the-country) Network. **also read :** https://tinyurl.com/5n7572jd Mimas' surface has been misleading [researchers](https://www.mindstick.com/news/1544/mars-looks-more-seismically-active-than-before-thought-said-researchers) all along, according to Rhoden, and their new [understanding](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/12918/cat-5e-vs-cat-6a-understanding-the-major-differences) has greatly enlarged the concept of a possibly livable world in the solar system [and beyond](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/336489/testing-strategies-in-java-unit-testing-integration-testing-and-beyond). While their findings suggest the presence of a modern-day ocean within Mimas, Rhoden cautioned that reconciling the 'moon's orbital and geologic [properties](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/23331/nootropics-7-different-types-and-their-unique-properties) with our existing knowledge of its thermal-orbital [development](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/65309/importance-of-ux-design-in-the-development-of-mobile-apps)' was problematic. --- Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/news/1315/mimas-saturn-s-smallest-moon-may-have-an-ocean-under-its-frozen-surface Copyright © MindStick Software Pvt. Ltd. This Markdown version is provided for developers, AI systems, and offline reading.