Icy moon

Icy moon

Icy moons are believed to be a common class of natural satellites or planetoids with surfaces comprise mostly of ice. It may possibly harbor an ocean underneath it, and possibly include a rocky core of silicate or metallic rocks. It is thought that they may be comprised of ice IIcite web |url=http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/water/ice_ii.html |title=Ice-two structure |accessdate=2008-01-02 |author=Chaplin, Martin |date=2007-10-26 |work=Water Structure and Science] . The prototype of this class of object is Europa.

Icy moons warmed by tides may be the most common type of object to have liquid water, and thus the type of object most likely to have water-based life.

Also some icy moons exhibit cryovolcanism, as well as geysers. The most example is Enceladus.

References


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