A photo from open sources
Scientists believe that in the hidden depths of the ocean on a satellite Saturn Enceladus could potentially exist life. Ocean Enceladus under the ice crust is fraught with a huge amount of liquid water, in which various life forms may develop. The thickness of the ice shell of the ocean is from 30 to 40 km. Experts are sure that under this ice shell there is water in liquid form, the layer depth of which reaches about 10 kilometers. In addition, this water is in direct contact with the rocky ocean bottom that theoretically creates all the conditions for complex chemical reactions, even those that led to life on The earth. In our solar system in its most unexpected parts you can find places that are potentially livable. Who could to think that in the bowels of the ocean of Enceladus, surface temperature which is about minus 180 degrees Celsius, there is liquid water. Hypotheses about the existence of liquid water on the satellite of Saturn originated back in 2005. It was then that NASA’s Cassini spacecraft first recorded water vapor erupted from ice breaks Ocean near the south pole of Enceladus. The diameter of the satellite is 504 km The change in the speed of a spacecraft in a gravitational field Enceladus indicates the presence of a “negative mass anomaly” at the south pole of the satellite. In other words, this area is fraught with less mass than would be expected from a spherical body, which can only be explained by the presence of an ocean of liquid water, the density which is higher than that of ice. The heat needed to keep water in liquid state, is formed within Enceladus, with a large part of this energy is generated as a result of tidal interactions between Enceladus and another satellite of Saturn – Diona. The internal energy reserves of this satellite are simply huge. A 2011 study confirmed that the southern polar region Enceladus consumes about 15.8 gigawatts of energy generated satellite, which is equivalent to the output of 20 coal power plants. Experts suggest that the satellite’s ocean has pretty impressive depth. Underground liquid seas probably eat geysers of Enceladus, which include organic compounds are carbon-containing building blocks of life. Gravity measurements also showed that the base of the ocean floor Enceladus consists of layers of various materials of silicate rocks low density. This is great news for those who hoped that life on the cold satellite of Saturn exists because such a bottom greatly enhances the likelihood of complex life chemical reactions that can lead to the nucleation of organic of life. This new approach of scientists, which allows using gravity analysis of a cosmic body detect hidden water in liquid state, expands the possibilities for exploring others space tel. For example, based on magnetic field data satellite of Jupiter – Europe, researchers have declared existence in its bowels of the underground sea containing liquid salt water. And this only the beginning of interesting discoveries, scientists are sure!
Water Life Saturn
