Tag: Enceladus
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Scientists use Cassini data to discover new molecules in Enceladus water jets
Located around Saturn is the icy moon Enceladus — one of the most interesting and potentially habitable moons in the solar system. NASA’s Cassini mission extensively studied Saturn and its moons from 2004 to 2017 and, in 2005, revealed large geyser-like jets extending from Enceladus’ south pole. Later studies would suggest that a massive subsurface…
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Testing a robot that could drill into Europa and Enceladus
Europa and Enceladus are two ocean moons that scientists have concluded have liquid water oceans underneath their outer icy shells. The Europa Clipper mission should reach Europa around April of 2030. If it collects data hinting at the moon’s potential habitability, robotic lander missions could be the only way to confirm if there’s really life…
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Researchers find a way to detect signs of extraterrestrial life in a single grain of ice
An artist’s conception shows NASA’s Europa Clipper probe flying over Europa. (NASA / JPL-Caltech Illustration) Scientists have verified that a method to look for cellular life on Europa, an ice-covered moon of Jupiter, just might work. The technique could be put to the test in the 2030s, when NASA’s Europa Clipper probe is due to…
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New research provides explanation for the origin of Saturn’s rings and icy moons
Recent research conducted by NASA and its partners using supercomputer simulations is shedding light on the origins of Saturn’s iconic rings and mysterious icy moons. Scientists believe the rings began forming from a massive impact between two icy moons, all the way back when dinosaurs were still roaming around the surface of Earth. The massive…
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Cassini data reveals the presence of phosphorus in Enceladus’ ocean plumes
A team of scientists, using archival data from NASA’s now-retired Cassini mission, has discovered the presence of phosphorus in the massive plumes of water being ejected from the southern regions of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Phosphorus — a chemical element essential for life and often considered a building block for life — is locked inside of…
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Megaplume of water vapor erupting on Enceladus caught by Webb Telescope
Enceladus, a frozen moon orbiting Saturn, has caught the interest of scientists because of the plumes of water vapor that erupt from its icy crust, which are possible evidence for a subsurface ocean. And an ocean means it has the potential for life (at least life as we know it). Now NASA’s James Webb Space…
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Scientists trace phosphates to Enceladus, boosting outlook for life on Saturn’s moon
A cutaway view shows water rising up from Enceladus’ ice-covered ocean. (NASA / JPL-Caltech Illustration) Phosphorus, an essential ingredient for life as we know it, has been detected for the first time in water samples that can be traced back to Enceladus, an ice-covered moon of Saturn. The discovery, reported today in the journal Nature,…
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Webb spots vast plume of water vapor spewing from Saturn’s moon Enceladus
A plume of water vapor jetting from the south pole of Saturn’s moon Enceladus stretches 20 times the size of the moon itself, feeding a vast torus around the ringed planet. Inset: Enceladus as imaged by the Cassini orbiter. Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, and G. Villanueva (NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center). Image Processing: A.…
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Cassini data sheds light on Saturn formation and Enceladus habitability
While its mission ended just over three years ago, data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft continues to help scientists unlock the mysteries of the Saturnian system that contains more than 80 identified moons. In particular, new and updated research has helped determine the drift rate of Titan away from Saturn, in turn leading to a better…
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Astrobiology takes the spotlight: Saturn’s moon Enceladus may offer a ‘free lunch’
This composite image shows how plumes of water emanate from fissures in the surface ice of Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons. (NASA / JPL Illustration) The sea that lies beneath the icy surface of Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons, could provide even more fuel for extraterrestrial organisms than previously thought. That’s the upshot of a…