Saturn’s ocean moon Enceladus appears to have ‘ingredients’ that could support life

Enceladus, only 313 miles (504 kilometers) in diameter, harbors a liquid water ocean beneath its icy crust that extends across the entire moon.

Also read: NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter farewell: A look at its historic moments

Saturn has a total of 146 moons, more than any other planet in the Solar System.

Cassini-Huygens, a joint mission of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency, investigated Saturn, its rings and moons from 2004 to 2017. It discovered plumes of water from the sub-surface salty ocean, which were also in contact with the rock. At sea level.

Using an instrument called a dust analyzer, researchers measured the ice particles emitted by Enceladus and learned about the composition of the subsurface ocean.

“Like Earth’s oceans, Enceladus’s ocean consists of salt, most of which is sodium chloride, commonly known as table salt,” the report said. space.

“The ocean also contains various carbon-based compounds, and there is a process called tidal heating that generates energy within the moon. Liquid water, carbon-based chemicals and energy are all key ingredients for life.”

In 2023, University of Washington planetary scientist and astrobiologist Fabian Kleiner and other scientists found phosphate, another life-supporting compound, in ice grains flowing from Enceladus’ ocean, the report said.

Also read: NASA seeks cost-cutting solutions for return of Mars soil samples amid budget cuts

According to many scientists, a similar setting may be the birthplace of life on Earth.

No one has yet discovered life beyond Earth.

In 2022, NASA announced that a mission to Enceladus is the second highest priority.

Recently the European Agency also announced that Enceladus is the top target of its next big mission.

Two other moons of Saturn – Mimas and Titan – appear to support life.

Mimas is the latest to join the growing family of icy moons that are believed to harbor the solar system’s internal oceans.

In February this year, scientists said that beneath the icy shell of Mimas lies a vast hidden ocean containing many of the ingredients needed to host primitive alien life.

Milestone alert!
Livemint tops charts as fastest growing news website in the world Click here to find out more.

Unlock a world of benefits! From informative newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and personalized newsfeeds – it’s all here, just a click away! log in now!

Published: April 22, 2024, 05:56 PM IST