WASHINGTON: Astrophysicists may have discovered the most life-friendly habitat outside planet Earth – on Saturn’s Moon Enceladus. Enceladus, Saturn’s sixth-largest moon,has a warm ocean with ongoing hydrothermal activity.
The astrophysicists working with NASA’s Cassini spacecraft discovered the ocean on the moon’s southern pole. It’s the first of its kind to be discovered outside of Earth. The new research coincides with last year’s discovery of the moon’s deep ocean.
The discovery happened in a rather counterintuitive way. Astrophysicists were able to estimatethe salinity, temperature and pH of the ocean by studying the outermost ring of the planet. But astrophysicists have long been aware that the material in Saturn’s outermost ring actuallycame from Enceladus.
By analyzing the dust nanoparticles of the planet’s outermost ring, researchers were able to determine what conditions forged them. For example, if Enceladus’s ocean were verysalty(even saltier than the Earth’s oceans), the particles would have clumped together and created bigger lumps than the ones discovered.
Thus far, astrophysicists know that Enceladus’s ocean is less than 4% salinity, is at least 200 degrees Fahrenheit and has a pH between 8.5 and 10. Scientists have concluded hydrothermal activity is the only known process that could create thesmall silica particles found.
It’s still unclear if life could or does exist on Saturn’s moon. Scientists are unsure of how long the hydrothermal activities have been going on, so it’s difficult to determine if the conditions are favorable for life. The Earth’s thermal activity is powered by our planet’s churning molten core.Enceladus’s heat, on the other hand, is powered by gravitational friction of Saturn and its other moons.
Whether or not Enceladus’s oceancontains life is a question we may be able to answer soon. Using the Cassini results and modern technology, scientists at least know where to look for life: frozen in the geyser particles.
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