Life's Building Blocks Found on Saturn's Ocean Moon Enceladus | NASA Cassini
The small moon is known to possess a subsurface ocean, and water from that ocean erupts through cracks in Enceladus' icy crust as geysers at its south pole, creating a plume. The plume then feeds Saturn's E ring (a faint ring outside of the brighter main rings) with icy particles.
During its mission at the gas giant from 2004 to 2017, Cassini flew through the plume and E ring numerous times. Scientists found that Enceladus' ice grains contain a rich array of minerals and organic compounds—including the ingredients for amino acids—associated with life as we know it.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute (SSI)
Image Processing: Kevin Gill
Release Date: June 14, 2023
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