NASA Cassini Data Reveals Building Block for Life in Enceladus’ Ocean

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NASA Cassini Data Reveals Building Block for Life in Enceladus’ Ocean
NASA Cassini Data Reveals Building Block for Life in Enceladus’ Ocean

Phosphorus, a key chemical element for many biological processes, has been found in icy grains emitted by the small moon and is likely abundant in its subsurface ocean.

Using data collected by NASA’s Cassini mission, an international team of scientists has discovered phosphorus – an essential chemical element for life – locked inside salt-rich ice grains ejected into space from Enceladus.

The small moon is known to possess a subsurface ocean ( www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassini-finds-global-ocean-in-satur... ) , and water from that ocean erupts through cracks in Enceladus' icy crust as geysers at its south pole, creating a plume ( solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/12323/cassini-finds-an-atmosphe... ) . The plume then feeds Saturn's E ring ( solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/13021/put-a-ring-on-it/ ) (a faint ring outside of the brighter main rings ( solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/12669/saturns-rings/#:~:te... seven main rings are,are A, B and C. ) ) 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 ( www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/new-organic-compounds-found-in-ence... ) – associated with life as we know it.

In this image, seen as a bright arc in this 2006 observation by Cassini, Saturn’s E ring is fed with icy particles from Enceladus’ plume, creating wispy fingers of bright material that is backlit by the Sun. The shadowed hemisphere of the moon can be seen as a dark dot inside the ring.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

#NASA #Cassini #JPL #JetPropulsionLaboratory #NASAMarshall #SolarSystemandBeyond #space #astronomy #Saturn #astronomy #planet #Enceladus

Read More ( www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-cassini-data-reveals-buildi... )

Read more about Cassini ( www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/main/index.html )

NASA Media Usage Guidelines ( www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelin... )

Taken on: May 20, 2024
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