Mimas, one of the many moons of the planet Saturn and nicknamed the “Death Star” moon because of its similarity in appearance to the fictional planet sized space station, appears to be what researchers call ‘wonky’ or filled with water.
It’s because Mimas wobbles. It’s wobble is twice as much as any moon its size and suggests something is under the surface like water or some other reason. The scientists studying the space body figure there’s either a massive ocean beneath its cratered surface or a rocky core that has such a weird shape as to explain the wobble.
This theory based on observation of this moon may well have astonishing results in planetary science. If there is a huge ocean beneath the surface of Mimas, is it water or some other liquid? Could life be inside? If it’s just a rocky core inside causing this moon to wobble, what configuration is it in? This might seem trivial to the public but the information could well explain and provide valuable data on many phenomena.
It’s theorized that several bodies in the solar system might have different cores and configurations. Some felt our moon was hollow and we sent satellites to crash into it to listen to the vibrations.
As more probes examine the various planets and moons and asteroids we’ll get a better picture of what is going on and that information should be used for further exploration of the cosmos.