“Scientists Discover Massive Water Vapor Eruption on Saturn’s Moon Enceladus with James Webb Space Telescope”

JAKARTA – Scientists have captured an amazing phenomenon from the icy moon of Saturn, Enceladus. Where, it sprays water vapor far into outer space.

The eruption was captured by the James Webb Space Telescope in November 2022, the water vapor was identified as a large blob.

Scientists say the plume may contain many chemicals, especially for life.

This isn’t the first time scientists have seen Enceladus spitting water into space. However, the monitoring of the Webb Telescope added to their astonishment.

Revealed, the steam jet extends much deeper into space than previously thought, exceeding the span of the moon itself several times. Enceladus has a diameter of about 313 miles.

“This is amazing,” Sara Faggi, a planetary astronomer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said during a conference at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore on May 17.

Faggi said a full research paper on the massive blob was being prepared. The original discovery of Enceladus’ aqueous eruption dates back to 2005 when NASA’s Cassini spacecraft observed ice particles being pushed through large cracks in the moon’s surface, known as tiger stripes.

The intensity of the explosion was so strong that the ejected material formed one of Saturn’s rings. The resulting bursts contain methane, carbon dioxide and ammonia, which are organic molecules that have the chemicals necessary for life to develop.

Most likely, some of the gas was produced by life itself, emitting methane deep beneath Enceladus’ surface, according to a study published last year in The Planetary Science Journal.

In addition, because Enceladus is covered with a layer of ice, many suspect that this moon has a vast ocean hidden under the frozen surface.

Scientists believe the jets of water detected by the Webb and Cassini telescopes originate from hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor. Supported by the presence of silica in plumes of steam, a common component of planetary crust.

To seek further answers about this planet, NASA is planning one of the Enceladus Orbilander missions, which will orbit the moon for about six months, traverse its water jets and collect samples.

Don’t stop there, the US space agency will also deploy an autonomous snake-like robot called the Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor to the submerged depths of Enceladus.

This robot, equipped with a camera and lidar to explore the unknown marine environment of Enceladus for signs of life. Thus quoted from Space via WionMonday, May 29.