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by ibgames

EARTHDATE: April 13, 2014

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REAL LIFE NEWS: ENCELADUS OCEAN COULD HARBOUR LIFE

by Hazed

I’ve been fascinated by Titan, one of Saturn’s moons, which has many intriguing features such as ice mountains (hence the skiing in Fed) and a methane lake. But it’s not the only satellite of the gas giant that bears a closer look.

Enceladus, it turns out, has an ocean the size of Lake Superior hidden underneath its icy surface, and it looks like it’s in just the right conditions to provide the essential ingredients for life, because it’s right underneath jets of salty water and organic molecules.

The giant sea has been discovered by analysing the moon’s gravity field. Measurements taken by the Cassini probe show fluctuations which point to a layer of water beneath the south polar region – which may even cover the entire moon.

Enceladus has icy geysers which emerge from cracks in its south pole, creating towering plumes. Cassini has sampled the contents during one of its many flybys, and NASA reports they consist of volatile gases, water vapour, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, as well as organic materials – “a surprising organic brew.”

“Material from Enceladus’ south polar jets contains salty water and organic molecules, the basic chemical ingredients for life,” said Linda Spilker, Cassini’s project scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Deep Space Network’s headquarters.

“Their discovery expanded our view of the ‘habitable zone’ within our solar system and in planetary systems of other stars,” Spilker said. “This new validation that an ocean of water underlies the jets furthers understanding about this intriguing environment.”

Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/03/saturn_moon_enceladus_ocean_water_life/

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