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VIRTUALISATION Cassini finds evidence of underground ocean on Enceladus
VIRTUALISATION Cassini finds evidence of underground ocean on Enceladus | Cassini finds evidence of underground ocean on Enceladus |
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| by William Atkins | |
| Wednesday, 16 July 2008 | |
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Such a discovery, if verified, could mean that planetary scientists will concentrate much of their search for extraterrestrial life within the solar system on this small but exciting moon. Scientists have already found that Enceladus contains active geysers, which shoot up water-ice, vapor, and organic compounds. That discovery—in and of itself—makes this moon a promising spot to find primitive forms of life, either from the past or still living today. The cosmic dust analyzer (CDA), a sensing device onboard the spacecraft Cassini, found evidence for an underground ocean when it detected sodium in Saturn’s E ring. This band of ice particles within the E ring is thought by astronomers to be in existence because its materials come from Enceladus. As reported by Science News in its article “Saturn's moon may host an ocean” (subscription required), the CDA measured the element sodium in a proportion of about one out of 100,000 parts within the Saturn E ring. The discovery of sodium in Saturn’s E ring was reported by Sascha Kempf (Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, Heidelberg, Germany) while giving a report to the Cassini project science group in Rome, Italy, in June 2008. According to Jonathan Lunine (University of Arizona, Tucson, U.S.A.), sodium in the E-ring would be indicative of a large body of water beneath the surface of the moon Enceladus. Lunine stated, as reported within the Science News article, that, “Although Enceladus is mostly rock, the moon’s surface is icy, preventing much sodium from escaping via solar wind or radiation, Lunine says. Instead, the only way sodium can exit Enceladus is for the element to escape from the moon’s interior. And for that to happen, liquid water is required, he asserts.” Lunine states, “A liquid water layer or pocket in contact with the rock, which is deep below Enceladus' surface, will acquire sodium from the rock — essentially leaching the rock.” Geysers are known to exist, but their source is unknown. A vast underground ocean may supply the watery materials that are shot out of the geysers. Please read the second page for more information. |
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