Europa shows how a slightly eccentric orbit can turn gravity into internal heat, widening the search for liquid water beyond the part of a planetary system where starlight can warm a surface ocean. The post A moon does not necessarily need much warmth from a star to keep water liquid. If it follows a slightly stretched orbit around a giant planet, relentless gravitational flexing can heat its interior—much as Jupiter helps sustain Europa’s buried ocean—meaning habitable environments could exist far beyond the classical habitable zone, sealed beneath kilometres of ice. appeared first on Space Daily .
A moon does not necessarily need much warmth from a star to keep water liquid. If it follows a slightly stretched orbit around a giant planet, relentless gravitational flexing can heat its interior—much as Jupiter helps sustain Europa’s buried ocean—meaning habitable environments could exist far beyond the classical habitable zone, sealed beneath kilometres of ice.
