Tag: ocean worlds
-
Heat leak from Enceladus bolsters case for life on Saturn’s ocean moon
New heat flow from Enceladus redefines habitability prospects Scientists have detected excess heat streaming from the north pole of Enceladus, one of Saturn’s most intriguing icy moons. The finding adds a crucial piece to the puzzle of how energy moves inside Enceladus and how a subsurface ocean—long suspected to lie beneath its frozen crust—might stay…
-
Space Radiation May Create Some Organic Molecules Detected on Icy Moons
Rethinking the Origins of Enceladus’s Organics For years, the plumes jetting from Saturn’s moon Enceladus have been a tantalizing clue in the search for habitability beyond Earth. The Cassini mission detected a suite of organic molecules in these icy geysers, suggesting a chemically rich environment beneath the frozen crust and a potential link to a…
-
Hidden Ocean? New Research Suggests Saturn’s Moon Mimas Might Harbor a Subsurface Sea
Scientists Hint at a Young Subsurface Ocean Beneath Mimas’ Cratered Surface Saturn’s small, cratered moon Mimas could be hiding a surprisingly young subsurface ocean beneath its icy crust. Recent thermal and orbital modeling, presented at a major planetary science conference, suggests liquid water may lie 12 to 19 miles (20 to 30 kilometers) beneath the…