spacetoday.net: New evidence for liquid water in Enceladus

New evidence for liquid water in Enceladus

Posted: Wed, Feb 10, 2010, 7:09 AM ET (1209 GMT)
Enceladus seen by Cassini in July 2005 (NASA/JPL)

Scientists analyzing data from Cassini have detected additional evidence for an ocean of liquid water within Saturn's icy moon Enceladus. Researchers reported the discovery of negatively-charged water ions in icy plumes extending from the surface of the moon. Those short-lived ions, along with other negatively-charged ions also detected by Cassini, are additional evidence that the plumes are linked to a subsurface reservoir of liquid water, as such ions are generated on Earth in waterfalls, breaking waves, or other places of moving water. The finding adds to previous evidence for liquid water inside the moon.