Troy Smith
Enceladus in the sixth largest moon orbiting the giant planet of Saturn. Scientists have discovered that Enceladus has a liquid ocean with a rocky floor beneath its bright white frosty surface.
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Researchers are now claiming that the ocean of Enceladus, unlike any other ocean discovered outside of Earth, contains phosphorus. With the discovery of phosphorus, scientists now claim that Enceladus contains all the necessary elements to facilitate life.
CBS News reports on this find….
Scientists have discovered phosphorus on Enceladus, the sixth largest moon of Saturn, NASA said Wednesday. The element, which is essential to planetary habitability, had never before been detected in an ocean beyond Earth.
The remarkable discovery, which was published in the journal Nature, is the last piece in the puzzle, making Enceladus’ ocean the only one outside of Earth known to contain all six elements needed for life — carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur.
Using data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, researchers found the phosphorus within salt-rich ice grains that the moon launched into space. The ocean on Enceladus is below its frozen surface and erupts through cracks in the ice.
The picture painted of Enceladus is quite intriguing. There are reported ‘ice volcanoes’ that spew ice into the atmosphere and rings on Saturn.
They claims that the rich phosphorus ocean on Enceladus is like a “soda-ocean”, as the alkaline liquid is extremely full of carbonates.
What kind of life could exist in this kind of place? How would the evolution of species affect how animals or organisms look and act?
Scientists are looking at other moons, like Europa of Jupiter, for potential phosphates after discovering this major breakthrough on Saturn’s moon.
It sure seems like Enceladus could use some of our global warming!
Could this discovery lead to human beings encountering life on other celestial bodies? Only time will tell.
The case for life outside of Earth has never been better!
