NASA scientists have confirmed that Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons, has a subsurface ocean that spans its entire circumference, according to The Verge. The news comes months after the space agency discovered evidence pointing to the presence of hydrothermal vents, one factor considered important in the formation of life on Earth.
Confirmation was made using research gathered by the spacecraft Cassini, which has been gathering information on Saturn and its moons since arriving on the planet in 2004.
"This was a hard problem that required years of observations, and calculations involving a diverse collection of disciplines, but we are confident we finally got it right," said Peter Thomas, a Cassini imaging team member and lead author of the paper.
The presence of a global subsurface ocean explains the unique movements and vapor sprays that escape Encedalus's outer shell, UPI reported.
"If the surface and core were rigidly connected, the core would provide so much dead weight the wobble would be far smaller than we observe it to be," said Matthew Tiscareno, a member of the Cassini science team. "This proves that there must be a global layer of liquid separating the surface from the core."
Cassini is currently scheduled to make a flyby of Enceladus on Oct. 28, marking the mission's deepest dive yet through the moon's icy material, according to Astronomy.
The study was published in the Sept. 11 issue of the journal Icarus.
