News Planetary Science

Enceladus’ ocean may not have produced precursor chemicals for life

The icy moon of Saturn is a contender for hosting life

An illustration of Enceladus' landscape with icy ridges and geysers spewing ice and water.

Organic compounds spewed by Enceladus’ geysers (illustrated) may have formed above ground via radiation instead of within the moon’s subsurface ocean, a new study suggests.

ESA/Science Office

By McKenzie Prillaman

Enceladus’ chilly geysers spew chemical compounds that hint at the potential for life in the moon of Saturn’s subsurface ocean.

But some compounds within the plumes may have formed via high-energy radiation above ground, a new study suggests.