Kate McHale
Staff Writer
Even though NASA has such incredible technology, anytime there is a new discovery it still leaves everyone amazed. A recent discovery of water well beneath the icy layer of Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons, confirms what has been suspected for quite some time. This aquatic hunch dates back to 2005, when photographs showed fountains of ice crystals firing out of the moon’s south pole.
A professor for California Institute of Technology named David J. Stevenson had a bit to share about these new details stating, ‘What we’ve done is put forth a strong case for an ocean’. However, the discovered body of water, about the size of Lake Superior, is not the biggest discovery; for many different researchers this is the most promising sign that there might be life somewhere other than the planet we live on.
Just go ahead and take a moment to gasp in awe.
The possible life-harboring moon is caught in a gravitational pull, between Saturn and another moon Dione. NASA’s spacecraft Cassini has made repeated flybys in order to determine the gravity field between the three objects. There are many other scientific factors that have influenced scientists to believe there is a chance life could survive elsewhere, including our neighbor Mars. However though, Enceladus has an even greater chance of having life on it than Mars.
Although it seems like it will be quite a while until anyone ever finds out for sure what is going on below the surface of Enceladus, it’s still cool to think about. Do you think there is a chance of life elsewhere? Is this the place researchers might find signs of life? Let us know in the comments!
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