Life Found on Saturn…not really.

March 27th, 2008

A sniff test of water vapor spewing from Saturn’s moon Enceladus shows it is gushing with organic molecules, increasing the possibility of life existing somewhere in the Saturn system.

So…more evidence that a moon may have harbored some form of life in the past, or even life now. As tiny as the molecules are, it is becoming apparent that if we are going to find evidence of life in the solar system other than our own it is going to be on one of the ice moons.

Hunter Waite, a Cassini principal investigator at the Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) in San Antonio, said Enceladus’ newly understood composition should stir up previous notions of Saturn and its moons.

“These findings will definitely get people to ask new questions about the formation of the Saturn system,” Wait told SPACE.com. “The astrobiological potential of the Saturn system just went up a notch or two.”

Astronomers are intrigued by these moons that seem to have geysers emitting from them. Being made of ice they are hopeful that there may even be underground water on these moons. I have seen several episodes of the Universe about this very thing so I am an expert in extra-terrestrial life. At parties I speak as if I am actually a scientist, although I have just watched the History channel. I also read books that make you sound smart when you discuss the theories that lie with in. I just opened my next batch of Stephen Hawking books with my box cutter and plan to spew strange ideas that I am quite sure are incorrect, but to the average person will sound smart. Especially conceited hot women who hang out in bars and talk about American Idol. Fish in a barrel my friends. Fish in a barrel . XD

The new heat maps of Enceladus’ surface show temperatures higher than previously observed in the south polar region, with hot tracks running the length of giant fissures.

“They’re still awfully cold, but much warmer than background temperatures of the rest of the surface,” said John Spencer, a Cassini scientist at SWRI in Boulder, Colo. “This means it has to be even warmer under the surface and raises the possibility of liquid water beneath the [exterior].”