• Miranda, Uranus’ moon, may have once hosted a ≥100 km thick subsurface ocean. • Voyager 2 data reanalysis and computer modeling suggest recent geological activity. • Tidal heating could keep a liquid water layer alive despite partial freezing. • The moon’s small size makes a 100 km ocean a large fraction of its volume. • Presence of liquid water raises questions about potential microbial life, though evidence is lacking. • Future robotic missions needed to confirm subsurface ocean and assess habitability.

Article Summaries:

  • A recent study published in the Planetary Science Journal reexamines Voyager 2 data on Uranus’s moon Miranda, suggesting the moon may have once harbored a subsurface ocean at least 100 km thick. Computer models indicate this ocean could have existed within the last 100-500 million years, and tidal heating might still keep a liquid layer underground. Miranda, only 470 km across, would have an ocean occupying a large fraction of its volume. While the presence of water raises the possibility of life, no direct evidence exists, and further exploration would be required to confirm any biological activity.

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