NASA-funded research explores tidal impacts on planetary and lunar interiors
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Nov 08, 2024
NASA-backed researchers have devised a novel approach to calculating how tidal forces influence the internal structures of planets and moons. Crucially, this research departs from the typical assumption of a perfectly spherical interior, instead examining how irregularly shaped bodies react to tidal stress.
These internal distortions, known as body tides, result from gravitational interactions between celestial bodies. For example, the intense gravitational pull of Jupiter on its moon Europa leads to significant deformations within Europa. As the moon’s elliptical orbit brings it closer to Jupiter, the gravitational force intensifies, causing periodic compressions that generate internal heat. This process enables Europa to maintain a subsurface ocean beneath its frozen crust.
“The same phenomenon applies to Saturn’s moon Enceladus,” explained co-author Alexander Berne of CalTech in Pasadena and an affiliate of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “Enceladus has an ice shell that is likely far less spherically symmetric than that of Europa.”
These tidal effects play a pivotal role in shaping the evolution of celestial bodies and could even influence their potential habitability, as seen with Europa and Enceladus. This new research allows for a more accurate assessment of how tidal forces impact planetary interiors.
Additionally, the findings offer insights for interpreting data collected by space missions targeting a wide range of celestial bodies, from Mercury and our Moon to the distant outer planets of our solar system.
Research Report:A Spectral Method to Compute the Tides of Laterally Heterogeneous Bodies
Related Links
Astrobiology at NASA
The Physics of Time and Space
