Enceladus, one of the moons next to Saturn's ring has proven to be quite an interesting place. Thanks to NASA's Cassini probe, it was implied that this small moon most-likely harbors an internal ocean that could potentially carry microbial life. But, unlike oceans Earth is used to, it is assumed that the water is "fizzy" similar to carbonated water. During one of Cassini's flybys, it detected water vapors shooting out fissures, or the "tiger stripes" of the ice surface. Salt was found in the ice particles spewing out of the fissures further implying an ocean to exist beneath the ice. Scientists believe the geysers act in the same way that a soda would. Gases are dissolved in the water that create bubbles and because it's density is less than the ice's, it rushes to the surface and explodes through the ice. But how does the water stay a liquid inside the ice capsule? It is thought that as Enceladus orbits Saturn, it creates internal friction which warms the water and keeps it from freezing.
I'm fascinated by this article because I have always assumed moons to be dead, life-less rocks that are just around, and I now know they're not. I found it amazing that we were even able to collect that much information about Enceladus (because it's so far away). It's interesting to think about an underground ocean too, especially one that is fizzy. The part though, that stuck out the most is that it is a potential host for life.



Check out the article!