Saturn’s moon, Enceladus, is our closest great hope for life beyond Earth
With liquid water, an energy source, and the perfect raw ingredients, Enceladus might be the holy grail we’ve been seeking.
This article is written by contributing author Jesse Shanahan. Jesse is an astrophysicist and science communicator, specializing in public speaking, outreach, and accessibility in STEM.
“Aha! That satellite was scuttled on Enceladus, Saturn’s main dump moon!”
-Professor Farnsworth, Futurama
A mere 790 million miles from Earth, nestled in the diffuse outer rings of the planet Saturn orbits a small, unobtrusive moon. With a diameter about as wide as North Dakota and a maximum surface temperature of approximately -200 degrees Fahrenheit, it seems unlikely that this pale, frigid rock would be of any significance. If you were flying past Saturn in a spaceship, you’d probably write it off as just another rocky moon. Given it’s one of 62 moons orbiting Saturn, it’d be pretty easy to ignore, as it has none of the obvious appeal of other Solar System moons. It has neither a thick atmosphere like Titan nor massive volcanoes like Io; however, it just might be one of the most habitable places in our Solar System. Its blanched, lifeless surface belies a complex, possibly life…
