US EditionSaturn Moon Enceladus May Harbor Stable Ocean for Life
Heat flow from Enceladus' subsurface ocean remains stable, matching tidal heating inputs and supporting the moon's potential to sustain life, researchers found.
- On November 7, 2025, the study published in Science Advances showed Oxford University, Southwest Research Institute, and Planetary Science Institute found strong heat flow at Enceladus' north pole.
- Comparing Cassini's 2005 and 2015 infrared observations showed Saturn's gravity flexes Enceladus each orbit, producing tidal heating that supplies internal heat.
- Infrared analysis yields quantitative heat-flow figures such as the north polar surface being about 7 K warmer than models predicted, measured heat flow 46 milliwatts per square meter, and conductive heat loss ~35 gigawatts.
- Matching totals show Enceladus loses 54 gigawatts total heat loss, aligning with tidal heating and supporting a stable subsurface ocean over geological timescales.
- With missions under consideration in the 2040s, ESA plans to study ice thickness, which ranges from 20 to 23 kilometers at the north pole and 25 to 28 kilometers globally, while scientists say determining how long the ocean has persisted is the next challenge.
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Study says that Encelado is emitting much more heat than would be expected if it were simply a passive body, which reinforces the possibility that he could endure life as it is known.
The Independent
The Independent (US)Alien life could have made a home on a nearby world, scientists say
Heat is coming out of the top of Enceladus, a moon around Saturn, scientists say
NewScientist
Anti-Aging, Acupuncture and Health NewsEnceladus’s ocean may be even better for life than we realised
The buried ocean on Saturn’s moon Enceladus seems to be stable across extremely long periods of time, making it an even more promising place to hunt for life
Heat leaking from Saturn's ocean moon Enceladus bolsters its case as an abode for life
Excess heat detected at Saturn moon Enceladus' north pole helps to account for a finely balanced energy budget that keeps the moon's ocean liquefied. What could this mean in the search for life?
Saturn’s icy moon may host a stable ocean fit for life, study finds
New findings from NASA’s Cassini mission show that Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons and a top contender for extra-terrestrial life, is losing heat from both poles – indicating that it has the long-term stability required for life to develop. The findings have been published today (7 November) in Science Advances.
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