- Findings published by a professor from California Institute of Technology, puts a strong case for the presence of an ocean beneath the icy veneer of one of Saturn’s moons Enceladus.
- 2005 photographs of the Enceladus showed geysers of ice crystals projecting from its south pole making this a place with the most potential of housing life elsewhere in the Solar System.
- Enceladus, which is just over 300 miles, is entangled in a gravitational tug of war between Saturn and another moon, Dione. This causes the bending of its outer icy layer and creates friction and heat.
- Photographs captured of the fissures (nicknamed tiger stripes) where the geysers originate by NASAs Cassini spacecraft, measuring temperatures and identifying carbon-based organic molecules that could serve as building blocks for life.
- Planetary scientists were however not surprised and believe this strongly confirms what has been one of the standard models.
Exams Perspective:
- Enceladus
- Saturn’s Moons
- Cassini Spacecraft
- NASA