Image of the Day: Saturn's Enigmatic Moon, Enceladus -A Habitat for Life?

On Saturn's small, icy moon Enceladus, “the mother lode of all discoveries was discovered at the South Pole,” said Carolyn Porco in a talk at Harvard University. Porco is director of flight operations and imaging team leader for the Cassini spacecraft in orbit around Saturn. Her work involves taking detailed pictures in space, shots that offer insights into the nature of the universe, and signs of life elsewhere in the solar system.. She described Cassini’s findings of elevated temperatures in the moon’s polar region, as well as an enormous plume of icy particles shooting tens of thousands of kilometers into space.

Analysis of the icy trail, which includes water vapor and trace amounts of organic materials such as methane, carbon dioxide, and propane, suggests it is fueled by geysers erupting from a pocket of salt water within the moon.

The findings, noted Porco, point to the possibility of “an environment where life itself might be stirring.”

“Should we ever discover that a second genesis had occurred in our solar system, independently outside the Earth,” she added, “then I think at that point the spell is broken. The existence theorem has been proven, and we could safely infer from it that life was not a bug but a feature of the universe in which we live, that it’s commonplace and has occurred a staggering number of times.”

This image above, taken on August 13, 2010, by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, shows the moon Enceladus over the bright arc of Saturn's atmosphere.

Casey Kazan via Harvard University

Image credits: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Comments

[John Umana]

Wonderful new Cassini photos. Carolyn Porco states: "Should we ever discover that a second genesis had occurred in our solar system, independently outside the Earth,then I think at that point the spell is broken. The existence theorem has been proven, and we could safely infer from it that life was not a bug but a feature of the universe in which we live, that it’s commonplace and has occurred a staggering number of times.” There is no life on Enceladus or elsewhere in this sun system other than on Earth - including Mars. It takes more than liquid water for life to emerge, as it did on Earth 3.9 billion years ago. Life is not "a feature of the universe," if that phrase means that life emerges on its own through chance combinations; it cannot. But life in the Milky Way is indeed commonplace. The galaxy is teeming with life and with intelligent life. Pay close attention to what U.S. astronauts have observed. Pay close attention to the spate of crop circles.

[Vigas]

And with just a few statements, John answers a lot of really important questions...

If only he would work at some place like, say... NASA or ESA and lecture those guys about such matters...

[eugene mcevoy]

i was at a major airport in summer of 2006 and at 12:22 p.m. observed a black rectangle overhead, eastbound, traveling very slowly, silently, without any wings, engines, tail, etc. It was surrounded by a cloudy thin veil of mist as it traversed the airport. I was stunned at first glance and uttered, "what the f... is that". The sighting lasted 15 seconds or so as it literally vanished . Weeks later the object appeared on you tube under heading Mig chased ufo over Russia. There was the identical object being chased by Soviet jet fighters with the camera mount viewing the ufo below and off to the left of the Mig. I'm an older man, military draftee, police, teacher, and law school education. I do not dream, hallucinate, do drugs, or trance myself into beta states. It happened. It solidified my beliefs, and evicerated any doubt that remained with reference to UFO's and alien life.

[eugene mcevoy]

i was at a major airport in summer of 2006 and at 12:22 p.m. observed a black rectangle overhead, eastbound, traveling very slowly, silently, without any wings, engines, tail, etc. It was surrounded by a cloudy thin veil of mist as it traversed the airport. I was stunned at first glance and uttered, "what the f... is that". The sighting lasted 15 seconds or so as it literally vanished . Weeks later the object appeared on you tube under heading Mig chased ufo over Russia. There was the identical object being chased by Soviet jet fighters with the camera mount viewing the ufo below and off to the left of the Mig. I'm an older man, military draftee, police, teacher, and law school education. I do not dream, hallucinate, do drugs, or trance myself into beta states. It happened. It solidified my beliefs, and evicerated any doubt that remained with reference to UFO's and alien life.