Hot springs discovered under the ice of Saturn's moon?

Some scientists believe that if in the solarSince there is life in the system, then you need to look for it not on Mars, but on Enceladus, one of Saturn's satellites. Yes, it is much further from the Sun than Mars, and even more so the Earth, therefore it is completely covered with ice. However, the Casini spacecraft in 2005 recorded a geyser on the surface of the satellite, which indicates the presence of liquid water under its icy shell. But how is this even possible, because on Enceladus the temperature is even lower than on the other satellites of Saturn, and is about -200 degrees Celsius? According to a recent study, the satellite has an internal heat source that heats the water, which means the chances of finding life here are really high.

Enceladus has a constant source of heat, scientists say

Is there life on Saturn's moon?

Life, as we understand it, requiresthe presence of liquid water, as well as certain chemical elements. An analysis of the water on the Enceladus showed that it contains all the chemical elements necessary for the origin of life, except for phosphorus. However, scientists did not put an end to this issue, and conducted an additional study, which was published last year. It says that the analysis could be wrong, in fact, the water on Saturn's moon is most likely rich in phosphorus.

But what about the water itself?The presence of only one geyser is not yet direct evidence of the permanent existence of a large ocean on the satellite. The discovery made by the Casini apparatus suggests that Enceladus has always possessed and continues to possess liquid water. This is evidenced by a large amount of silica (silicon dioxide) in Saturn's E ring, which is present along with ices from water, ammonia and carbon dioxide.

In the rings of Saturn, the spacecraft discovered substances from the bowels of Enceladus

Scientists have found that silicon dioxide got herestraight from the depths of Enceladus due to geysers escaping from under the ice crust. Moreover, silica itself arose in the stone core. But the most interesting thing is that a number of its features indicate that it was exposed to high temperatures. The scientists report this in the journal Nature.

The truth is, it is still unknownhow exactly silica gets from the core into the waters of the satellite's subglacial ocean. In a study last year, scientists suggest that water seeps through the moon's porous core.

Where did the heat source on Enceladus come from?

If the satellite of Saturn had a heat source, thenwhy hasn't he died yet? According to scientists, it's all about the orbit of the satellite. It is not perfectly round, but has the shape of an ellipse. Therefore, Enceladus is either approaching Saturn or receding from it. In this regard, the force of attraction between the planet and its satellite is constantly changing. This variable gravity causes Enceladus to periodically stretch and contract, causing the core to constantly heat up.

Enceladus has a core that is constantly heating up

According to available data, Enceladus has an icyshell, the thickness of which reaches 22 kilometers. Under it is a liquid ocean about 10 kilometers deep. The constantly heated core, which either contracts or expands, prevents the water from freezing. Moreover, it explains the occurrence of hydrothermal vents, that is, cracks in the seabed.

According to previous studies, the core shouldcreate convection currents in the ocean. That is, as a result of the fact that warm water rises and cold falls, currents are formed, similar to those that exist on Earth. The current study suggests that the currents are so strong that they are able to pick up materials from the bottom. Thanks to this feature, scientists can examine samples of materials hidden deep in the bowels of the satellite.

These findings are in line with a 2015 study,which showed that the chemical elements detected in the geysers of Enceladus corresponded to what, theoretically, can be found in the satellite's hot springs.

Earth's hydrothermal vents are teeming with bacteria

Can life exist under an icy shell?

On Earth, hot springs at the bottom of the ocean are not at alllifeless. They are literally teeming with bacteria, despite being out of reach of sunlight. There are entire ecosystems here that produce energy not by photosynthesis, but by means of certain chemical reactions.

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Theoretically, bacteria can live inhydrothermal vents of Enceladus. Moreover, in order to find them, it is not at all necessary to drill a multi-kilometer ice shell. Biomolecules must be on the surface of the satellite. Accordingly, all scientists need is to send an orbital or lander to the surface of the satellite. By the way, NASA started testing a device to search for life on Europa and Enceladus back in 2019, as we talked about earlier.