NASA discovers giant water geyser on Saturn’s moon

NASA scientists with the help of the James Webb telescope managed to discover on Saturn’s moon Enceladus is a giant geyser that ejects water hundreds of kilometers into space. Researchers believe that one of Saturn’s rings could have been formed from elements ejected into space.

The geyser was discovered in November 2022, and now the results of the report were presented at a conference at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. This is not the first time scientists have found water on Enceladus, but only now have the scale of emissions become clear, which can go further into space than the diameter of the moon, which is 504 km. Emissions include methane, carbon dioxide and ammonia – they are necessary elements for the emergence of life. It is also believed that under the ice sheet of Enceladus is an ocean of liquid water, and hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor can serve as a source of emissions.

NASA is discussing possible missions to Saturn to search for life: it is assumed that the orbital module Enceladus Orbilander will collect plume samples while in orbit of the moon, and in a year will land on its surface. The possibility of sending a snake robot Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor under the ice sheet of Saturn is also being considered.

Evgeny Fedunenko