2023-06-18 20:31:00
Analysis of data collected from Enceladus by the Cassini spacecraft
From ice particles in the water column that springs up from the underground sea
Confirmation of “Phosphorus”, the last remaining element among the six major essential elements
A column of water rising from the Antarctic subterranean sea of Enceladus through the surface layer of ice. Photo taken by the Cassini spacecraft in 2009. (Provided by NASA)
“Simvoatta” (meaning that you have seen the heart of God, a word you shout to inform your friends when you discover a wild ginseng)
A substance reminiscent of the cheers shouted by those searching for wild ginseng in the forest was discovered in the forest of space observation materials. Scientists have found the long-sought-for phosphorus in the phosphate form on Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus.
An international research team led by the Free University of Berlin in Germany has found that fine particles of ice in the water column that rises from the sea beneath the ice surface layer of Enceladus contain large amounts of phosphate. The findings were published in the international scientific journal Nature.
Phosphorus is one of the essential elements that make up living organisms, and is a major component that makes up human bones, teeth, and cell membranes. It is the central element of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is used for storage and transportation. However, it is an element that is extremely rare on Earth, and this is the first time that phosphorus has been discovered on a celestial body other than Earth.
Since it is estimated that there are many celestial bodies with oceans underground other than Enceladus in the solar system, this discovery is expected to further increase interest in the search for extraterrestrial life in the future.
Photo taken in 2005 by the Cassini probe as it flew close to 61,300 to 11,100 kilometers away from Enceladus. (Provided by NASA)
Growing hopes for the existence of living organisms
With a diameter of 500 kilometers, Saturn’s sixth largest satellite, Enceladus orbits Saturn once every 1.3 days at a distance of 230,000 kilometers. Through observations from Cassini, which probed Saturn from 2004 to 2017, scientists believe Enceladus has a liquid ocean about 10 kilometers deep beneath a surface layer of ice 30 to 40 kilometers thick. I assume there is. At that time, Cassini observed a plume of water bursting through the surface layer of ice at the South Pole of Enceladus. Scientists recently discovered through observations by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) that the maximum length of the water vapor column is close to 10,000 kilometers.
The discovery is the result of detailed analysis by the Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) of 345 ice particles collected by Cassini as it passed through one of Saturn’s rings, the E ring. Scientists have found phosphate molecules in nine ice particles. The E-ring is a ring of particles expelled into space from the water column that erupts through fissures in Enceladus’ surface.
In 2020 (published in 2022), the research team used geochemical modeling techniques to predict the presence of phosphorus in Enceladus. raised.
This discovery means that Enceladus has confirmed all six major elements essential to life, following carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. The six major elements are also called ‘CHONSP’ by combining their atomic symbols. As a result, expectations for the existence of life forms are expected to rise even further.
Scientists have previously discovered sodium, potassium, chlorine and carbonate-containing compounds in Enceladus’ ice particles. In addition, computer modeling suggests that the subsurface ocean is moderately alkaline. “All these factors increase the likelihood of the presence of life,” said NASA.
Saturn’s E ring and Enceladus observed by the Cassini spacecraft in 2006.This photo was taken 2.1 million kilometers away from Enceladus. (Provided by NASA)
Solar system oceans are more common than expected
The team’s analysis showed that the concentration of phosphorus in ice particles on Enceladus was more than 100 times higher than on Earth. “Conservatively, we estimate that phosphate concentrations in the Enceladus subsurface ocean are on average hundreds of times higher than in Earth’s oceans,” the researchers said.
Professor Postberg, who led the study, said such high levels of phosphorus could be related to the abundance of carbonates in Enceladus’ seas. Professor Postberg said, “The Enceladus sea can be called the ‘sea of soda water,'” and added, “Soda water dissolves phosphate trapped in rocks.”
The researchers revealed that one of the most interesting discoveries in planetary science in the last 25 years is that worlds with oceans beneath a layer of surface ice are commonplace in our solar system. Examples include Enceladus, Jupiter’s moon Europa, Saturn’s moon Titan, and Pluto.
In order for liquid oceans to exist on the surface, such as on Earth, they must be close to the stars that supply them with energy. You get it, so it can exist anywhere in the galaxy. In particular, this energy could serve as a source of energy for the birth chemistry of life deep within the celestial body.
Scientists speculate that the alkaline ocean within Enceladus causes a chemical reaction with the rock core that facilitates the dissolution of phosphate.The presence of phosphate strongly supports the inference that life exists in the sea of Enceladus. (Provided by Southwest Research Institute)
Professor Postberg said the discovery suggests that phosphate may be abundant in other solar system bodies with presumed liquid oceans.
“This discovery confirms the fact that the Enceladus ocean meets the most stringent requirements for the existence of life,” said co-author Dr. Christopher Glein of the Southwest Research Institute. “The next step is to find out if there’s actually life in that ocean,” he said.
*Thesis information
doi:10.1038/s41586-023-05987-9
Detection of phosphates originating from Enceladus’s ocean.
Kwak Nopil, senior staff reporter (contact [email protected])
Translation MS
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