Ice in a different way in space
Tuesday – 16 Rajab 1444 AH – 07 February 2023 AD Issue number [
16142]
Small pieces of ice (Reuters)

London: «Asharq Al-Awsat»
Scientists have finally discovered a new form of ice in space that may shed light on how we think about water, according to the British newspaper (The Independent).
He states that ice is amorphous, meaning that its molecules take a disorderly shape rather than being neatly arranged as in normal crystalline ice.
The new types of (medium-density amorphous ice) resemble liquid water more than any other forms of ice, and this could help give scientists a better understanding of the hormone of water molecules (H2O).
Researchers at London College and the University of Cambridge made this unexpected discovery during “an experiment that was conducted last Friday afternoon, and you can see for yourself and see what happens.”
The team shook plain ice with steel balls in a jar chilled to minus 200 degrees Celsius. Instead of producing small chunks of regular ice, the scientists found a form of ice that has the same density as liquid water.
Notably, amorphous ice is the main type found in space; Because its cold environment means it does not have enough heat energy to form crystals. Which is rare on earth.
The material (medium-density amorphous ice), which appears as a fine white powder, can exist within ice moons in the outer solar system.
He also states that tidal forces from Jupiter and Saturn can exhibit similar forces on plain ice as those formed in the said ball mining experiment.
The study also concluded that when ice was heated and recrystallized, it released a large amount of heat that could trigger tectonic movements and “ice quakes” in ice-coated moons such as Jupiter’s Ganymede. This ice can be several kilometers thick.
Professor Christoph Salzmann of London College says: “Water is the basis of all forms of life, and our existence depends on it, and we launch space missions to search for it, but from a specific point of view this concept is not well understood.”
Source: aawsat