Astronomers say they have discovered phosphorus on Enceladus, one of Saturn's largest moons, increasing the chances of life on the moon.
Published Jun 15th, 2023 5:36PM EDTAstronomers say that traces of phosphorus have been detected in the salty ice grains found on Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Late last month, astronomers reported that aseen jutting from Enceladus could be key in the search for life beyond Earth. Now that we’ve discovered this key building block of life on the moon, though, that outcome seems even more likely.
According to the new reports, the chemical was found in the grains of salty ice that were recently released into space by the plumes I mentioned above. These plumes have been releasing material from cracks in the ice shell that surrounds the moon’s surface. Below that shell, though, is an ocean that could be home to even more building blocks of life.
Scientists involved in the new research utilized data taken from NASA’s Cassini mission, which studied Saturn in-depth between 2004 and 2017. During that time, the mission also looked closely at the planet’s moons, of which there are many. A study on the discovery of phosphorus on Enceladus can be found in the
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