The Moon That Sends Us Its Ocean

Saturn has a moon with a hidden ocean, and that ocean is spraying samples of itself into space.

Enceladus is only about 310 miles wide, but beneath its brilliant shell of ice lies a global saltwater ocean warmed by the pull of Saturn. Along its south pole, enormous fractures release water vapor and tiny frozen grains. NASA's Cassini spacecraft flew through that spray and found salts, organic compounds, molecular hydrogen, silica and phosphorus: an intriguing collection of water, chemistry and energy.

Now two new studies make the story even more compelling. One suggests that Enceladus naturally separates and concentrates its ocean chemistry into individual ice grains, potentially making signs of life easier for a future spacecraft to detect. The other shows that a methane-producing microorganism from Earth can survive under a laboratory recreation of Enceladus-like conditions.

This week on Star Trails, we'll visit the little moon that may be preparing its own samples for us. Then, after the break, we'll discover why the average color of the universe is called Cosmic Latte before heading outside for Mars in the Beehive Cluster, a young Moon beside Antares, Vesta at opposition and a perfectly timed fade of the Demon Star.

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