The Moon That Sends Us Its Ocean

Podcast: Star Trails: From Backyard Astronomy to Cosmic Wonder · Single Malt Sky

Opublikowano: 2026-10-11

Saturn has a moon with a hidden ocean, and that ocean is spraying samples of itself into space. Enceladus is only about 310 miles wide, but beneath its brilliant shell of ice lies a global saltwater ocean warmed by the pull of Saturn. Along its south pole, enormous fractures release water vapor and tiny frozen grains. NASA's Cassini spacecraft flew through that spray and found salts, organic compounds, molecular hydrogen, silica and phosphorus: an intriguing collection of water, chemistry and energy. Now two new studies make the story even more compelling. One suggests that Enceladus naturally...