News: Water ocean found under ice in Saturn's moon Enceladus

MaRy

Quote:

An ocean of water sloshes deep under the icy south pole of Saturn's tiny moon Enceladus, a new study suggests.

The new finding, based on data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, may explain the geysers of water spouting from "tiger stripe" cracks in the moon's surface that were previously captured by the spacecraft's cameras.

'So it makes, in fact, the interior of Enceladus a very attractive potential place to look for life.'

It also adds to evidence that Enceladus may be able to support microbial life.

How is it possible that water could exist in a place with a surface temperature that averages -200 C?

Stevenson said the key is Enceladus's unusual orbit around Saturn, which is more elliptical and less circular than is typical for a moon. Because of that, Saturn's gravity pulls Enceladus unevenly at different points in its path.

"This causes the ice to be squeezed and squished, and as a consequence there's heating, and from that heating water is being produced."

The measurements also suggest that the ocean sits on a bed of rock that "provides potentially some of the materials necessary for life," said Jonathan Lunine, a Cornell University planetary scientist on the team, at a press briefing organized by Science.

Other chemicals necessary for life, such as salts and organic molecules, had already been detected by Cassini on Enceladus, Lunine noted.

"So it makes, in fact, the interior of Enceladus a very attractive potential place to look for life."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/sa...cean-1.2597035

Get Ready.

NOW

Wow Enceladus coming to snatch Titan's wig for most hospitable moon in the solar system!

Haunter

Let me pack my bags, and book a flight.

Ichinaru19

We ain't ready for those tiny organisms that will snatch our bodies when we bring them back to Earth to observe

macrocycle

take me there

BadMonster

"Rocket number nine take off to the moon, Enceladus!"

This is amazing news, I hope they find a life form there!!

I'm getting more and more hopeful they will find life on another planet/moon during my lifetime and I am 100% honest that if I got to live to see that day I would die a happy man, I'd have witnessed the biggest discovery in human history

BeyonceHatesMe

New specials? Yas.

lightstheyblindme

Mezter

Cool

lightstheyblindme

Quote:

Originally posted by Ichinaru19

We ain't ready for those tiny organisms that will snatch our bodies when we bring them back to Earth to observe

gorl, too much scifi channel

princedonte

My fave planet Saturn continues to slay the solar system.

Gallop

Ermahgawd!!!! Alien mermaids!!!! I knew it! I knew this day would come in my lifetime!

Jezang Looz

Let's find a way to tilt the planet to create more heat!

NO.

MORE.

WINTER.

Chemical X.

bluth

Quote:

Originally posted by NOW

Wow Enceladus coming to snatch Titan's wig for most hospitable moon in the solar system!

You will NOT pay dust to Europa like that

SHICD

Yaaass

♚ PRiNCE HiGH ♚

YASSSSS mama slay

BILLIONAIRE✘BOY

Let me buy her album , Enceladus will open big. Bookmark me.

Grumpy Gills

water ocean...

P!nkism

Cant wait for them to find life on other places, and bye bye religion