Scientists use Cassini data to discover new molecules in Enceladus water jets

Date:
Sat, 11 Oct 2025 21:21:29 +0000

Description:
Located around Saturn is the icy moon Enceladus one of the most interesting and The post Scientists use Cassini data to discover new molecules in Enceladus water jets appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Located around Saturn is the icy moon Enceladus one of the most interesting and potentially habitable moons in the solar system. NASAs Cassini mission extensively studied Saturn and its moons from 2004 to 2017 and, in 2005, revealed large geyser-like jets extending from Enceladus south pole.

Later studies would suggest that a massive subsurface ocean was responsible for the jets, which are primarily comprised of water ice. Now, in a new study using archival Cassini data, a team of scientists has discovered a plethora
of new complex organic molecules within these jets. The presence of the new molecules in the jets proves that complex chemical reactions are occurring in Enceladus subsurface ocean.



Cassini was detecting samples from Enceladus all the time as it flew through Saturns E ring. We had already found many organic molecules in these ice grains, including precursors for amino acids, explained Nozair Khawaja, the studys lead author.

Saturns E ring is the faint ring of ice grains created by the ice grains spewed out of Enceladus south pole. The ring traces the moons orbit, and as the ice grains orbit Saturn, they are subjected to intense radiation from the Sun and Saturns magnetic field. In this image from Cassini, Enceladus can be seen in the center, with the massive E ring extending above and below the moon. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)

However, these ice grains are hundreds of years old, and given their continuous radiation exposure, are often significantly weathered from their initial states. To better assess the processes within Enceladus ocean, scientists needed to investigate the ice grains immediately after their ejection from the moons south pole.

Fortunately, in 2008, Cassini flew directly through the plume from the south polar jets, using its Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) to collect data on ice
grains just minutes after their ejection. The ice grains hit the CDA at
around 18 km/s. The speed at which the ice grains impacted the CDA proved to be important in Khawaja et al.s analysis.

The ice grains contain not just frozen water, but also other molecules, including organics. At lower impact speeds, the ice shatters, and the signal from clusters of water molecules can hide the signal from certain organic molecules. But when the ice grains hit CDA fast, water molecules dont
cluster, and we have a chance to see these previously hidden signals, Khawaja said. Cassinis Cosmic Dust Analyzer. (Credit: ESA/NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute)

Several of the molecules detected by the CDA during Cassinis 2008 plume flyby were also detected in later flybys of the E ring, confirming that the E rings ice grains originate from Enceladus subsurface ocean.

These molecules we found in the freshly ejected material prove that the complex organic molecules Cassini detected in Saturns E ring are not just a product of long exposure to space, but are readily available in Enceladuss ocean, said Frank Postberg, a co-author of the study.

Whats more, the team found new molecules, including aliphatic esters/alkenes, heterocyclic esters/alkenes, ethers/ethyl, and nitrogen- and oxygen-bearing compounds. These complex organic molecules, when involved in chains of chemical reactions, can produce other complex molecules required for life.

There are many possible pathways from the organic molecules we found in the Cassini data to potentially biologically relevant compounds, which enhances the likelihood that the moon is habitable. There is much more in the data
that we are currently exploring, so we are looking forward to finding out
more in the near future, says Nozair.

Future missions to Enceladus are expected to further explore the moons subsurface ocean and habitability. The European Space Agency (ESA) announced in 2024 that Enceladus was one of the agencys top targets for a future
mission to Saturn. Studies for the mission have begun, with the spacecraft expected to land on and collect samples from the moons south polar region.

Enceladus hosts some of the most habitable conditions in the solar system liquid water, a source of energy, and complex reactions and molecules. As space technology advances and current missions like ESAs Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) further inform scientists on icy moons and their nature, Enceladus is becoming a clear target for humanitys search for life outside of Earth.



Even not finding life on Enceladus would be a huge discovery, because it raises serious questions about why life is not present in such an environment when the right conditions are there, Khawaja said.

Its fantastic to see new discoveries emerging from Cassini data almost two decades after it was collected. It really showcases the long-term impact of our space missions. I look forward to comparing data from Cassini with data from ESAs other missions to visit the icy moons of Saturn and Jupiter, said ESA Cassini project scientist Nicolas Altobelli.

(Lead image: Enceladus south polar jets from Cassini. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)



The post Scientists use Cassini data to discover new molecules in Enceladus water jets appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/10/cassini-new-molecules-enceladus/


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Science News (1337:1/100)