Tag: Enceladus
-
Europlanet Webinar: Cassini Detects Organic Compounds in Enceladus’ Fresh Plume
Overview: Cassini’s Fresh Plume and a New Detection The Europlanet Webinar on 5 November 2025 brings together researchers and enthusiasts to explore a startling development: the Cassini mission, which operated from 1997 to 2017, identified organic molecules in ice grains from the geysers that shoot from Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Minutes after being ejected into space,…
-
Europlanet Webinar: Cassini Detects Organic Compounds in Enceladus Plume
Overview of the Europlanet Webinar On 5 November 2025, at 11:00 CET (10:00 UTC), the Europlanet Webinar series highlighted a pivotal discovery about Enceladus, one of Saturn’s most intriguing moons. The session featured Thomas O’Sullivan from Freie Universitaet Berlin, who shared the latest results on organic molecules detected in ice grains ejected from Enceladus’ plumes.…
-
Europlanet Webinar: Cassini Detects Organic Compounds in the Enceladus Plume
Overview of the Europlanet Webinar The Europlanet Webinar series returns with a compelling session on one of the solar system’s most intriguing worlds: Enceladus. On 5 November 2025 at 11:00 CET (10:00 UTC), researchers, space enthusiasts, and planetary science students will gather to hear Thomas O’Sullivan of the Freie Universität Berlin discuss the latest detection…
-
A New Laser Drill Could Unlock Secrets Beneath Icy Worlds like Europa
Reimagining icy-world exploration with laser drilling For decades, scientists have dreamed of probing the hidden oceans beneath the frozen crusts of moons such as Jupiter’s Europa and Saturn’s Enceladus. The challenge has always been how to reach these subsurface oceans without melting, disturbing, or contaminating the delicate environments below. A pioneering laser drilling concept promises…
-
Laser Drill Could Unlock Ice-Covered Worlds Like Europa
A New Frontier in Space Exploration: The Laser Drill for Ice Worlds Scientists are envisioning a bold leap in how we study the hidden oceans beneath the ice of worlds like Jupiter’s Europa and Saturn’s Enceladus. A compact, high-energy laser drill could pierce thick ice crusts without melting large volumes of material, enabling close-up investigations…
-
New Laser Drill Could Unlock Europa’s Hidden Ocean
Introduction: A New Path to the Subsurface In the quest to understand the icy worlds of our solar system, scientists are turning to a bold new technology: a laser-based drill designed to bore through thick ice without the need for traditional bits and bits of friction. This laser drill for icy moons promises a cleaner,…
-
Ammonia Gas and the Growth of Extremophile Halomonas meridiana: Implications for Habitability
Introduction: Ammonia as a double-edged gas for microbial life Ammonia is a common atmospheric and environmental constituent that can both fuel cellular growth and impose toxicity. For extremophiles like Halomonas meridiana, which thrive in high-salt, often harsh niches, ammonia can supply essential nitrogen while also presenting a potential stressor when present at elevated concentrations. Understanding…
-
Radiolysis of Enceladus Ice Analogues and the South Plume
Introduction Saturn’s magnetosphere continuously bathes Enceladus with trapped plasma and energetic ions. This radiation environment can chemically weather the moon’s surface ice, potentially shaping the materials observed near the south polar plume. In a focused study, researchers subjected Enceladean ice analogues—composed of H2O, CO2, CH4, and NH3—to water-group ions (such as O+, O3+, OH+, and…
-
Can Radiolysis Explain Material in and Around Enceladus’ South Polar Plume? Insights from Ion Irradiation of Ice Analogues
Introduction: Probing Enceladus’ Radiation Chemistry Saturn’s magnetosphere bathes Enceladus in a harsh radiation field, continually delivering water-group ions and energetic particles to the moon’s icy surface. A crucial question in astrobiology and planetary science is whether the materials observed in Enceladus’ south polar plume—and on its surrounding terrain—are remnants of a subsurface ocean or products…
-
Ion Irradiation Studies Of Enceladus Ice Analogues: Can Radiolysis Account For Material In And Around The South Polar Plume?
Introduction Enceladus, one of Saturn’s most intriguing moons, hosts a dynamic south polar plume that ejects icy particles and vapor into space. The surrounding environment is dominated by Saturn’s magnetosphere, a source of trapped plasma and energetic ions that continuously irradiate the moon’s surface. A growing question in astrobiology and planetary science is whether radiolysis—chemical…