Astronomers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, USA, have observed a colossal column of water vapor erupting from Saturn’s moon Enceladus, one of the most promising places for potential extraterrestrial life.
The record-breaking water vapor column reached nearly ten thousand kilometers in height, equivalent to the distance between Ireland and Japan. Water was ejected into space at an estimated rate of around 300 liters per second.
Enceladus harbors a subsurface saltwater ocean beneath its icy outer shell. It has previously released water vapor into space, but this marks the first time such a massive water column has been observed erupting from this moon, which spans 500 kilometers in diameter.
Researchers observed Enceladus, Saturn’s sixth-largest moon, using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in November of last year. Images captured by the telescope’s near-infrared spectrometer revealed the immense water vapor column.
Measurements taken with the telescope indicated that Enceladus loses 300 kilograms of water per second through this water vapor column, enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool in just a few hours.
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A pixelated image from the James Webb Space Telescope reveals a colossal water vapor plume erupting from the South Pole of Enceladus, stretching a remarkable 40 times the size of this moon. The inset image above showcases a visual representation of Enceladus captured by the Cassini orbiter spacecraft in the past. Photo credit: NASA.
Due to Enceladus’s rapid rotation around Saturn, completing an orbit in just over a day on Earth, the water vapor follows the moon’s orbital path, forming a gigantic plume. According to telescope data, this plume comprises about 30% of the water escaping from Enceladus, while the remaining water flows into the surrounding region of Saturn.
These observations build upon the findings of the Cassini mission, a major project that explored Saturn and its dozens of moons over the course of a decade. Cassini was the first spacecraft to capture images of water columns erupting from Enceladus and flew through the water vapor plumes to sample and analyze their composition.
In 2017, NASA scientists reported that Enceladus possesses nearly all the necessary components for life as we know it, including water, energy, and suitable chemical compounds. The energy source is believed to be similar to hydrothermal vent systems on Earth’s ocean floors, known for supporting life. Future projects will aim to investigate the thickness of the moon’s icy outer shell and the depth of its subsurface ocean.
The research has been published in the journal Nature Astronomy.