Saturn has 146 confirmed moons – more than any other planet in the solar system – but one called Enceladus stands out. It seems to have the ingredients for life. From 2004 to 2017, Cassini – a joint mission of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency – examined Saturn, its rings … Read more
Astronomers have discovered that a small moon of Saturn, called Mimas, may harbor a hidden liquid ocean beneath its thick icy shell and thus have the conditions for habitability. This shocking finding radically changes the definition of what an ocean moon can be, and could ultimately redefine our search for extraterrestrial life on moons in … Read more
When it comes to detecting the presence of liquid water on planets outside the solar system, and thus the conditions necessary for life, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) may want to look for what’s missing rather than what is is. This is what that means. A team of researchers, including scientists from the Massachusetts … Read more