Astronomers have found that Saturn’s moon, Enceladus, is spewing out copious amounts of complex organic molecules, suggesting it’s an even more promising place to look for extraterrestrial life than previously thought.
As detailed in a new study published in the journal Nature Astronomy, researchers examined data collected by NASA and the European Space Agency’s Cassini spacecraft, which visited the tiny moon between 2005 and 2015. They found evidence that its suspected underground ocean is home to complex chemical reactions, which on Earth are closely associated with life.
The research builds on existing findings that jets of water are bursting forth from Cassini’s underground ocean, shooting ice particles straight into space, some of which find their way back onto the moon’s surface.