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.
27 Articles
27 Articles
"A Top Contender for Extraterrestrial Life": Subsurface Ocean on Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Likely Stable Enough to Support Life
A new analysis of surface temperature readings from NASA’s Cassini Mission has determined that Saturn’s moon Enceladus is losing heat from both poles. The study, conducted by researchers from Oxford University, the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), and the Planetary Science Institute (PSI), overturns previous assumptions that Enceladus was only losing heat from its active South Pole, thereby increasing the odds that the icy moon could support…
Enceladus, Saturn's enigmatic moon, has just given new 'signs' of potential life. An international team of researchers, led by scientists from Oxford University and the Institute of Planetary Sciences in Tucson, Arizona, has just announced in 'Science Advances' a discovery that suggests that the underground ocean of Enceladus, a huge liquid tank hidden under miles of frozen bark and containing about 20 million cubic kilometers of salt water, pos…
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
Enceladus’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
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 64% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
