Image
Saturn moon Mimas and a graph of two options of its geology
Courtesy of NASA/JPL/SSI/SwRI
Caption
Mimas’ heavily cratered surface (left) suggests a cold history, but its librations rule out a homogeneous interior. Rather, Mimas must have a rocky interior and outer hydrosphere, which could include a liquid ocean (Option A) or be fully frozen with an irregularly shaped core (Option B). An ocean provides a better fit to the phase of the libration but is difficult to reconcile with Mimas’ geology.