The universe is full of icy worlds that scientists suspect could serve as homes for alien life. These celestial bodies are so cold that humans could never set foot upon them without freezing to death — yet if they have liquid water and carbon, they could facilitate the evolution of organic beings like the inhabitants of our own planet. In addition to containing organic chemicals, these worlds would need to be stable enough that life could realistically reside there. That is why astrobiologists are increasingly turning their eyes toward icy bodies like the Jovian moons of Europa and Ganymede, Saturn’s moons Titan and Enceladus, Uranus' moon Miranda and the dwarf planet Ceres.
So how could life survive in such a cold, hostile environment? We’ve found plenty of ice in our solar system, but no consistent liquid water is known on any moon or planetary surface aside from Earth. But many theories exist that subsurface oceans could exist, which is why NASA has launched the Europa Clipper last October, which will hunt for signs of life on Jupiter’s moon when it arrives in 2030. In the meantime, scientists are still puzzling out the physics behind such an icy ocean that could harbor life.
