Astronomy
The Potential for Life in the Plumes of Enceladus
Quick fact
In 2005, NASA's Cassini spacecraft discovered ice and vapor geysers erupting from Enceladus' south pole, revealing a hidden salty ocean beneath its ice shell. The plumes contain simple organic compounds and molecular hydrogen, key ingredients for supporting microbial life like that found near Earth's deep-sea hydrothermal vents.
Why this is interesting
A tiny, ice-covered moon 800 million miles away is spraying ocean water into space—and those drops could be proof that we are not alone. How can we catch ocean water without landing on a planet?