Tag: nasa saturn moon image

NASA finds key building block for life in a moon of Saturn
Technology

NASA finds key building block for life in a moon of Saturn

[ad_1] The long hunt for extraterrestrials just got a big boost.Scientists have discovered that phosphorus, a key building block of life, lies in the ocean beneath the icy surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus. The finding was based on a review of data collected by NASA's Cassini probe, and was published Wednesday in the prestigious journal Nature. Cassini started exploring Saturn and its rings and moons in 2004, before burning up in the gas giant's atmosphere when its mission ended in 2017."This is a stunning discovery for astrobiology," said Christopher Glein of the Southwest Research Institute, one of the paper's co-authors, adding: "We have found abundant phosphorus in plume ice samples spraying out of the subsurface ocean."Geysers on Enceladus' south pole spew icy particles through cr...
NASA shares stunning snapshot of Saturn’s Moon Enceladus
Technology

NASA shares stunning snapshot of Saturn’s Moon Enceladus

[ad_1] Enceladus was captured by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft during its close flyby. Here’s what you need to know. NASA has shared a stunning snapshot of one of Saturn's Moons called Enceladus. Considered the most reflective celestial body in our solar system, Enceladus is an active moon with a surface completely covered in ice. NASA estimates that the ice stretches for about 20-25 kilometers deep into the surface. Enceladus is Saturn's 6th largest Moon in size and the 19th largest Moon in our solar system.As a result of surface being covered in ice, the temperatures on the moon remain extremely low. During the mid-day, the surface temperatures reach just -198-degree Celsius. According to NASA, Enceladus travels in an elliptical orbit around Saturn at a distance of about 238,000 kilomet...