Name: Could a Saturn moon harbor life?
Uploaded: 2009-05-21T09:01:00Z
Duration: 3 min 10 s
Description: Carolyn Porco shares exciting new findings from the Cassini spacecraft's recent sweep of one of Saturn's moons, Enceladus. Samples gathered from the moon's icy geysers hint that an ocean under its surface could harbor life.

Carolyn Porco: Could a Saturn moon harbor life?

Could a Saturn moon harbor life?

Carolyn Porco shares exciting new findings from the Cassini spacecraft's recent sweep of one of Saturn's moons, Enceladus. Samples gathered from the moon's icy geysers hint that an ocean under its surface could harbor life.

A small moon of Saturn, Enceladus, bursts with towering icy geysers that contain complex organic molecules and salty water. Recent Cassini spacecraft missions found that these jets likely emerge from liquid water in contact with rock beneath the surface. This environment could provide the chemical energy needed to support life. While no organisms have been detected yet, the prospect of a habitable zone beyond Earth has grown stronger.