If you've been keeping up with space exploration news, you've probably heard about the strong possibility of Jupiter's moon Europa containing the right ingredients for alien life. But more evidence from the Cassini space probe suggests that Saturn's ice-covered moon Enceladus may be an even better breeding ground for extraterrestrials.
Photo: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
According to Space.com, a team of researchers has published an amazing new study, stating that the ocean of liquid water beneath 20-mile-thick ice at the moon's southern pole could contain all the elements needed to support the development of life, in many ways similar to that which first appeared on Earth.
This confirms what many scientists have suspected since the 2005 discovery of ice and water geysers bursting into space from cracks in the moon's surface; these dark fractures have been nicknamed “Tiger Stripes.”
Photo: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
The team's full report is now published in the journal Science.
Another cool new development in the search for extraterrestrial life is the James Webb Space Telescope, set to go into space in 2018.