Nearly 62 miles beneath the ice and organic-rich surface of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, lays an internal ocean of liquid water mixed with ammonia, or so it is believed by many astrological professionals.
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft discovered evidence that supports the existence of an internal ocean after it passed by the moon 19 times collecting imaging data from October 2005 to May 2007.
Titan has organic dunes, lakes of methane, river channels and mountains, and has one of the most complex, active and Earth-like surfaces in the solar system.
Using images from earlier observations, scientists and engineers identified 50 landmarks such as lakes, canyons and mountains. When they analyzed later images from the Cassini, they found that their original landmarks had shifted.
A systematic displacement of surface features would be complicated to explain unless the moon’s icy crust was separated from its core by an internal ocean, making it easier for the crust to move.
Detric Robinson, a sophomore in biology, believes the theory to be fascinating.
“I think it’s cool because we have no internal ocean on earth and the possibility of life being down there is astounding; we would coexist with other life in our solar system or our galaxy for all we know,” Robinson said.
The theory that an internal ocean really exists is questionable though and must be proven before any research can be accomplished.
Davide Lazzati, who specializes in astrophysics and is an assistant professor in the physics department, “[T]here is indirect evidence of bodies of liquid water beneath the surface of Titan. It is, however, indirect evidence and it needs to be proved before anyone can definitely conclude that there is an ocean on Titan,” Lazzati said.
However, this is still an important finding for astrobiologists who are searching for potential habitats for life in our solar system.
Liquid water is essential for life as we know it here on Earth, and searching for locations where liquid water exists is essential in the search for life beyond our planet.
By discovering this hidden ocean, we might be able to locate microorganisms much like the original that began life on Earth and track the development of life on Titan, allowing us to learn more about the origin of humans.
Robinson said, “If we found any microbial life, we might be able to make a comparison or a more definitive explanation of evolution; we would have a better idea of how life evolved on Earth.”
Eric Drye, a senior in aerospace engineering, thinks that if life is sustainable anywhere other than Earth, even if it is at a bacterial stage, it will cause people to question the origin of the humanity.
“The assumption that we are the only ones in the universe will be turned upside down, and I think it will be interesting to see how people react,” Drye said.
Nick McMahon, a sophomore in mechanical engineering, said that he believes finding microbial life elsewhere could potentially create a religious dispute.
McMahon said, “If life is discovered in another system, I think it will create religious debate and it will counteract our perceived notion of human evolution on Earth.”
Drye also said he believed it would change people’s religious views.
It will be, however, difficult to prove that life is sustainable on Titan since it is frozen. The conditions needed for the creation of life are slim since it is normally around -290 degrees Fahrenheit on Titan, but it does hold the correct chemistry that could potentially lead to life.
