Icy Moons Are Ocean Worlds

Scientists have discovered that numerous icy moons in the outer solar system harbor vast underground oceans of liquid water, making them potential candidates for extraterrestrial life. Six confirmed ocean worlds—Europa, Enceladus, Titan, Mimas, Callisto, and Ganymede—have been identified through data from space missions like Voyager, Galileo, and Cassini, with several additional moons being investigated as possible ocean worlds. This transformation in our understanding of these frozen bodies represents a major shift from viewing them as barren, lifeless worlds to recognizing them as potentially habitable environments.