Warm Moons of Rogue Planets ⚡ экспресс
Simulations have shown that after a supernova explosion, the moons of rogue planets are not only retained but also acquire elongated orbits (eccentricity up to 0.02). These orbits trigger tidal heating: the planet’s gravity squeezes and stretches the moon, as if you were kneading dough, generating heat. In 12–15% of cases, this heat is enough to maintain liquid oceans beneath the ice — like on Europa or Enceladus. Moreover, the heating can last for billions of years, making these worlds promising targets in the search for extraterrestrial life.
In the Galaxy, there are plenty of rogue planets, thrown out by supernova explosions. These free-floating planets lack a sun, but often retain their moons. Simulations show that after the cataclysm, the moons' orbits become barely elongated, and that's enough to kickstart internal heating. In 12–15% of cases, the heating power rivals what keeps the oceans of Europa and Enceladus warm. Amazingly, this process fades incredibly slowly: for moons farther from the planet than ten times its radius, the heating will last longer than the Solar System has existed. So water oceans under the icy crust can remain liquid for billions of years. The next extraterrestrial life might be discovered not around a star, but in the eternal darkness of interstellar space.
🎯 There may be more rogue planets in our Galaxy than stars — so warm moons with oceans in the Universe could be unimaginably numerous, like grains of sand on all the beaches of Earth.