Scientists have found evidence of phosphate on Saturn’s moon Enceladus through the recording of ice grains collected by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, raising expectations about the presence of life on the celestial body.
26 years after the launch of the cassini probe in space and six years since his “death” Due to fuel depletion, the spacecraft continues to help the scientific community in the study and knowledge of space, but above all to Saturn and its moons.
Using data collected by Cassini, scientists discovered phosphorus in the form of phosphates in the underground ocean of the Saturn’s moon Enceladus giving the scientific community optimism about the search for life outside Earth.
The workshop manager, Frank Postberg planetary scientist at the Freie Universitat Berlin, specified for the Jar What “Earlier we discovered that the ocean of Enceladus is rich in different organic compounds” stock to the satellite an object of study on the possibility of life in other places of the universe.
The co-researcher dr. Christopher Glin planetologist expert in extraterrestrial oceanography and geochemist of South West Research Institute (SwRi) assured that “we have found abundant phosphorus in ice samples from plumes erupting from the subterranean ocean ”.
For some years now, thanks to the Cassini probe, we have known that enceladus he has a underground ocean under a thick layer of ice that covers it, in addition to several cracks that they expel grains of ice like geysers at the south pole of the natural satellite.
The study published in Nature details how researchers, through recording data from the Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) of Cassini between 2004 and 2017, succeeded in detecting orthophosphate in grains of ice Saturn’s E ring , ring composed mainly of frozen formations ejected by Enceladus in the orbit of Saturn.
The presence of this orthophosphate would prove that phosphorus would be readily available on the frozen surface of the lunar ocean.
“Using a model to predict the presence of phosphate is one thing, but really finding proof of phosphate is incredibly exciting “, expressed Glein, specifying that “we found concentrations of phosphate at least 100 times higher in plumes formed from the moon’s ocean waters than in Earth’s oceans ”.
Phosphate, a key element of life found on mysterious Saturn moon
Phosphorus in the form of phosphate in addition to being scarce, It is one of the essential elements of life. it is made up of molecules of chemically bonded sodium, oxygen, hydrogen and phosphorus .
It plays an important role in the creation of DNA and RNA , energy-carrying molecules , cell membranes , the bones and teeth of all living things even in the marine plankton microbiota.
That is why suspicions of extraterrestrial life are growing, since, despite the fact that the existence of the element in Enceladus had previously been suspected, this new discovery evidence and solidify its presence.
Regarding extraterrestrial life, Glein pointed out that “have the necessary ingredients , but that may not be enough for an extraterrestrial environment to support life ”.
“With this finding, The ocean of Enceladus is now known to satisfy what is generally considered to be the most stringent requirement for life. The next step is clear: we have to go back to Enceladus to see if the habitable ocean is really inhabited ” sentenced.
Source: Latercera
I am David Jack and I have been working in the news industry for over 10 years. As an experienced journalist, I specialize in covering sports news with a focus on golf. My articles have been published by some of the most respected publications in the world including The New York Times and Sports Illustrated.
