(ANSA) Rome 27 – New organic molecules, such as ethanol and acetylene, have been discovered in the geysers of Enceladus, Saturn's moon that has a liquid ocean beneath its icy surface that could harbor life forms.
This is indicated by a new analysis published in the journal Nature Astronomy, conducted by Jonah Peter of Harvard University, using data collected by the Cassini mission.
Between 2005 and 2015, the probe, the result of a collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency, flew past Enceladus several times, less than 50 kilometers from the surface.
It has long been believed that beneath the icy surface of Enceladus lies a large ocean of liquid water with all the conditions and ingredients needed to support life, a hypothesis supported primarily by data obtained by the Cassini mission.
The probe was able to pass through plumes of steam emanating from some of the geysers that characterize the icy surface of the moon.
Geysers that would bring water from the hidden ocean to the surface.
Data collected by Cassini's Inms mass spectrometer made it possible to determine the chemical composition of the plumes, composed mainly of water, carbon dioxide, methane and molecular hydrogen H2, but it was not possible to identify with certainty any simple traces of other, more complex molecules. .
Now, using a more advanced analysis technique, American researchers have identified the presence of other organic molecules, such as hydrogen cyanide HCN, acetylene C2H2, propylene C3H6, and ethane C2H6.
They are essential molecules for life, increasingly strengthening the possibility that primitive life forms exist beneath the thick layer of ice.
This discovery confirms the great interest aroused by the moon Enceladus, which in the coming years could become a potential target for robotic missions aimed at searching for traces of extraterrestrial life. (I forget).
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