Ariel's Carbon Dioxide Indicates Potential Subsurface Ocean on Uranus' Moon
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 29, 2024
The surface of Uranus' moon Ariel contains substantial carbon dioxide ice, particularly on its trailing hemisphere, the side that faces away from its orbital motion. This is unexpected as carbon dioxide, even in the distant Uranian system-20 times farther from the Sun than Earth-easily sublimates into gas and escapes into space. Researchers propose that the carbon dioxide on Ariel's surfac