Detecting water on a Saturn satellite

American astronomers argue that clouds of dust and gas escaping from one of Saturn's satellites may contain water, an important factor for life.

Photograph of dust and gas escaping from Saturn's Enceladus satellite surface.Photo: AP.

After analyzing the images sent by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, astronomers saw mysterious dust and gas escaping from Enceladus, one of Saturn's satellites, containing water vapor.

The latest calculations show that gas and dust when released at a greater speed than sound can contain water. A team of NASA experts said that the dust and gas moving from Enceladus had a speed greater than 2,176 km / h. "They can't reach that speed without water," says Candice Hansen, the lead researcher.

Carolyn Porco, head of Cassini's image team, thinks Enceladus - one of 60 Saturnian satellites - will become an astronomer's new astronomical target.

Meanwhile, a Jupiter satellite, Europa, is also capable of containing water below its surface. But because Enceladus is much more accessible than Europa, Candice Hansen thinks NASA should conduct this satellite exploration first.