More evidence emerges that one of Saturn’s moons could harbor life

Recent study Enceladus, Sun Saturn I discovered many organic compounds that had not been recorded there before. The results were published this month in Nature astronomyIt provides new clues about the internal chemical makeup of this icy world, as well as new hope that it could harbor life.

The researchers analyzed data from Cassini The probe was launched in 1997 and studied Saturn and its moons for years until its destruction in 2017. For Enceladus, Cassini collected data from ice fragments forcefully ejected from the moon’s subsurface ocean into space.

Enceladus is one of 274 objects discovered so far in Saturn’s gravitational zone. It has a diameter of about 500 kilometers, making it the sixth largest satellite on Earth. Although this moon is not distinguished by its size, it is distinguished by cryovolcanoes, which are geysers of water at the south pole of Enceladus that spew water vapor and ice fragments. Columns of ejected material can extend to approx Its length is 10,000 kmIt is greater than the distance from Mexico to Patagonia, and some of this matter rises into space. Saturn’s main outer ring – the E ring – consists mainly of ice that Enceladus ejects into space.

It is believed that this material comes from the salty water chamber located beneath the moon’s icy crust and connected to the moon’s rocky core. Chemical reactions can occur there, under high pressure and temperature.

Until now, most chemical analyzes of ice on Enceladus have concerned particles deposited in Saturn’s E ring. But during a high-speed flyby around the moon in 2008, Cassini was lucky enough to directly sample fragments freshly ejected from the ice volcano. The new paper reanalyzed this data, confirming the presence of previously discovered organic molecules, as well as revealing previously undetected compounds.

“Such compounds are thought to be intermediate compounds in the synthesis of more complex molecules, which could be biologically relevant. However, it is important to note that these molecules can be formed abiotically as well,” said Nazir Khawaja, a planetary scientist at Freie Universität Berlin and lead author of the study. He told Reuters. This discovery significantly expands the range of organic molecules confirmed on Enceladus.

The key is that the compounds appeared in freshly ejected particles, suggesting that they formed within the moon’s hidden ocean or in contact with its interior facades, rather than during their journey through the E ring or by exposure to space conditions. This strengthens the hypothesis that hydrothermal processes beneath Enceladus’ surface could generate rich organic chemistry. By combining this new research with previous studies, scientists have now found five of the six essential elements of life – carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur – in material ejected from the satellite.

This in itself is not the discovery of life, nor of biosignatures – signs of life. However, the research confirms that Enceladus has the three basic conditions for life to form: liquid water, an energy source, and basic elements and organic matter. “Enceladus is the main target, and it should be classified, to explore its habitability and research whether there is life or not,” Khawaja said.

This story originally appeared on Wired In Spanish It was translated from Spanish.