An oddity has been discovered on Saturn’s moon

A new discovery has been made on Enceladus, Saturn’s small moon covered in ice.

Soft and feather-like materials were detected on the icy crust of the celestial body. Researchers say these are snow-like particles.

SURFACE COVERED WITH ICE AND SNOW

Enceladus, a small frozen celestial body about 500 kilometers in diameter, has a large subterranean ocean. On the other hand, since the celestial body is located so far from the Sun, these oceans are covered with a thick layer of ice.

But the ice sheet isn’t the only layer covering this ocean, according to new research. The object’s surface is also filled with soft snow-like particles.

These fragments are thought to erupt from massive icy geysers that extend deep into the celestial body. Accordingly, the jets in question deposited large amounts of soft particles on the surface.

It is stated that smaller and lighter particles ejected from geysers are also thrown into space and contribute to Saturn’s huge rings.

The findings, published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Icarus, mean that there is more tectonic activity in the celestial body than anticipated.

REGOLITH, NOT SNOW

On the other hand, the researchers described these soft pieces as “regolith” instead of calling them snow.

Planetologist Emily Martin of the National Air and Space Museum in the US stated that these “cannot be called snow as we know it.”

“The material we detected on the surface of Enceladus,” said Martin, who is also the lead author of the study. The worldUnlike the snow in Turkey, it was not produced from the atmosphere,” he said.

“The way these particles fall to the surface resembles snow. I think it’s a fitting analogy,” Martin said.

May not have the same composition as snow on Earth

There is also the possibility that the soft material on Enceladus may not have the same composition as snow on Earth.

“The physical properties of this material are still not fully understood,” Martin told Futurism.

For astronomers, a better understanding of these oddities on Enceladus is extremely important.

It is estimated that the materials required for the formation of life are abundant in the ocean covering the satellite.

This means that Enceladus could harbor extraterrestrial life, albeit at microscopic scales.