An unknown methane-producing process is likely at work in the hidden ocean beneath the icy shell of Saturn’s moon Enceladus, suggests a new study published in Nature Astronomy by scientists […]
Enceladus
Posted inEnceladus
Evidence That A Novel Type Of Satellite Wake Might Exist In Saturn's E Ring
Saturn’s E ring consists of micron-sized particles launched from Enceladus by that moon’s geological activity. A variety of small-scale structures in the E-ring’s brightness have been attributed to tendrils of […]
Posted inIcy Worlds
Probing The Icy Shell Structure Of Ocean Worlds With Gravity-topography Admittance
The structure of the icy shells of ocean worlds is important for understanding the stability of their underlying oceans as it controls the rate at which heat can be transported […]
Posted inEnceladus
What Ocean Salinity Is Consistent With The Large Thickness Variation Of The Enceladus Shell?
Of profound astrobiological interest is that not only does Enceladus have a water ocean, but it also appears to be salty, important for its likely habitability. Here, we investigate how […]
Posted inIcy Worlds
Probing for Life in the Icy Crusts of Ocean Worlds
A technique for scanning Mars rocks for microscopic fossils of ancient life is also being developed to hunt for microbes in the deep ice of Enceladus, Titan, and Europa. Long […]
Posted inIcy Worlds
Worlds With Underground Oceans May Support and Conceal Life
One of the most profound discoveries in planetary science over the past 25 years is that worlds with oceans beneath layers of rock and ice are common in our solar […]
Posted inTitan
Formation Conditions Of Titan and Enceladus' Building Blocks In Saturn's Circumplanetary Disk
The building blocks of Titan and Enceladus are believed to have formed in a late-stage circumplanetary disk around Saturn. Evaluating the evolution of the abundances of volatile species in this […]
Posted inEnceladus
Oxidation Processes Diversify The Metabolic Menu On Enceladus
The Cassini mission to the Saturn system discovered a plume of ice grains and water vapor erupting from cracks on the icy surface of the satellite Enceladus. This moon has […]
Posted inEnceladus
SwRI Models Point To A Potentially Diverse Metabolic Menu At Enceladus
Using data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, scientists at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) modeled chemical processes in the subsurface ocean of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The studies indicate the possibility that a […]
Posted inEnceladus, Press Release
Hints of Fresh Ice in Northern Hemisphere Of Enceladus
New composite images made from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft are the most detailed global infrared views ever produced of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. And data used to build those images provides strong […]