Mariam Ezz-Eldin

Grade: 11

School: Menese International School

City: Cairo

Topic: Ariel

---

The dreams of finding life outside Earth have no limits. Take the Uranus moon “Ariel” for example. It was visited once by the voyager 2 in 1986. Since then, many secrets about the mysterious moon were revealed. One of the things that we know is that it has unstable temperature. Also, it was discovered later that there are multiple craters and canyons covering its surface. Moreover, the moon’s core is highly dense with iced frozen water and a rocky core. Considering all the collected information; I think Ariel is the most interesting moon for me.

According to a study that was communicated by astronomers at Cornell University and published in the New York times magazine, cryovolcanoes or iced volcanoes are highly found to be one of the main Ariel geographical activities. Those iced volcanoes were found when erupt, they erupt with a wholesome of methane and ammonia gases, alongside water, all together known as iced lava. The fact that Ariel contains liquid forms of frozen water and other organic substances indicates that there might be forms of animal/plant life on its surface.

On the other hand, there were problems spotted by the satellite on Ariel’s surface and probably the most highlighted one is the absence of oxygen in its frozen atmosphere which most likely would not support any type of life on the moon.

In conclusion, the idea of finding life outside Earth persists; however, the possibility is still very low. Taking data collected into consideration, those icy volcanoes that erupt every 20 years indicates that it is a cycle, not a coincidence which gives us hope of finding seeds of life there. If I had the chance to visit Ariel, I would want to learn more and explore the chances for life there.