Technology and science
March 03, 2023 at 11:25 am
Photo: NASA | Saturn’s satellite reveals its secrets: an earth phenomenon was discovered at the bottom of its ocean
Scientists have obtained evidence of the existence of hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the ocean on Enceladus. And they could be home to extraterrestrial microbial life.
American scientists have presented a new study on Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Scientists have discovered new evidence of the existence of hydrothermal vents at the bottom of its underground ocean, which are similar to those that exist on Earth. Just like on our planet, life can exist in these heat sources, writes ScienceAlert.
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Enceladus is the sixth largest moon of Saturn, with a diameter of about 500 km. It has a thick icy surface estimated at 18-22 km thick, and under this shell lies an ocean of liquid water about 10 km deep. The internal heat of the satellite keeps this water from freezing.
Starting in 2005, the Cassini spacecraft studied both Saturn and Enceladus for several years. In particular, he discovered that streams of water, combined with other chemical compounds, escape into space from the surface of the satellite. At that time, scientists did not yet know what causes these streams to appear.
Also, the data of the device showed that one of the rings of Saturn has many particles of silicon dioxide or silica, and as it turned out, the same particles are present in the emissions from Enceladus. Later, scientists found that this silica comes from the satellite’s rocky core. But how silica gets from the core to the ocean has remained a mystery.
American scientists have presented a new study on Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Scientists have discovered new evidence of the existence of hydrothermal vents at the bottom of its underground ocean, which are similar to those that exist on Earth. Just like on our planet, life can exist in these heat sources.
Photo: NASA
Now scientists from the University of California at Los Angeles have suggested that silica particles are emitted from hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the underground ocean. Due to the internal heat, ocean currents are created, which contribute to the release of these particles to the surface.
That is, scientists believe that hydrothermal vents, the same as on Earth, exist on Enceladus. And where there are such sources of heat, microbial life can potentially exist. At least such life has long been discovered by scientists in similar places on Earth.
Hydrothermal vents and ocean currents are strong enough to help transport silica to the surface of Enceladus’ icy shell and then into space, according to the author of the new study. And thus they fall into one of the rings of Saturn.
The new study adds to the growing body of evidence that Enceladus has hydrothermal vents, and if life exists there, it can be detected without even penetrating the ocean itself.
As already wrote Focusscientists believe that the new orbiter to be sent to Enceladus will be able to analyze emissions from the surface of the satellite and detect signs of extraterrestrial life there.
Also Focus wrote that scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope discovered a strange phenomenon that occurs in the rings of Saturn. The nature of this phenomenon is not yet completely clear.
