Saturn moon ‘may contain liquid water’

SCIENTISTS say supersonic plumes of gas and dust shooting off one of Saturn’s moons suggest it has liquid water, a key building block of life.

Their research, appearing in tomorrow’s issue of the journal Nature, adds to the growing push to explore further the moon Enceladus, as one of the solar system’s most compelling places for potential life.

Using images from Nasa’s Cassini probe, astronomers had already discovered that the mysterious plumes shooting from Enceladus’ icy terrain contain water vapour. New calculations suggesting the gas and dust spew at supersonic speeds make the case for liquid, said study lead author Candice Hansen of Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Lab in California. Her team calculated the plumes travel at more than 1,360 mph (2,188kph).