The study reveals that Enceladus is emit much more heat than would be expected if it were simply a passive body, reinforcing the hypothesis that could support life as known.
Enceladus, Saturn’s moon that has a salty ocean beneath its icy crust, is losing heat at the poles, indicating it has the long-term stability needed for life to thrive, a study suggests.
Heat loss was previously thought to occur at the moon’s south pole, where jets of water vapor erupt from deep fissures in the surface, but the new study provides the first sign of significant heat flow at the north polewhich was thought to be geologically inactive.
According to scientists, the presence of liquid water, heat and certain chemical elements, such as phosphorus and complex hydrocarbons, means that the ocean beneath the surface of Enceladus could be one of the best places in the Solar System for life has evolved outside of Earth.
What do you need to support life?
To be able to support life, this ocean must have a stable environmentwith its energy losses and gains in balance, which is maintained by the heat generated by the tides to which the ocean is subject: Saturn’s gravity stretches and compresses Enceladus while the moon orbits the planet, generating heat inside Enceladus.
If the moon does not accumulate enough energy, activity on the surface will decrease or cease, and the ocean may eventually freeze. On the other hand, too much energy could cause an increase in activity in the ocean, changing its environment, explains the statement from the British university.
13 years in Saturn’s orbit
Based on the analysis of data transmitted by the NASA’s Cassini space probewhich spent 13 years in orbit around Saturn, between 2004 and 2017, the authors of the published study compared observations from the north polar region in the harsh winter (2005) and summer (2015).
The data was later used to measure the amount of energy that Enceladus loses from its ocean (0ºC) as heat travels through the ice sheet to the surface (-223ºC) and is then projected into space.
When combined with the previously estimated heat escaping from Enceladus’ active south pole, the moon’s total heat loss rises to 54 gigawatts, “a value that closely matches the predicted heat input from tidal forces.”
“This balance between heat production and heat loss strongly suggests that Enceladus’ ocean can remain liquid over geological time scales, offering a stable environment where life could potentially emerge,” says the University of Oxford.
The next step in the investigation will be to determine whether Enceladus’ ocean has existed long enough for life to develop (At this time, his age is still uncertain).
