One of Saturn's many moons, Enceladus is exhibiting signs of having subsurface oceans that closely resemble those on Earth.
According to Space.com, previously spotted hot springs on the moon indicate Enceladus has oceans whose floors may have active hydrothermal vents. Despite its icy surface, the moon's oceans could be warm enough to foster life.
Authors of a study published in the journal Nature say this is the first recorded instance of active hydrothermal activity.
"These findings add to the possibility that Enceladus, which contains a subsurface ocean and displays remarkable geologic activity, could contain environments suitable for living organisms," John Grunsfeld, an astronaut and associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said in a press release. "The locations in our solar system where extreme environments occur in which life might exist may bring us closer to answering the question: are we alone in the Universe."
At 314 miles in diameter, Enceladus is just Saturn's sixth-largest moon. No wider than the state of Arizona, Space.com noted, Enceladus' size was a factor in its relatively late discovery in 1789. Astronomers still did not discover the moon's water geysers until 2005, thanks to NASA's Cassini spacecraft.
"You have a habitat that could possibly harbor life," Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist with NASA, told NBC News. "So it'd be very interesting to go back with a future mission to make the measurements to could tell you whether or not there might be life in Enceladus' ocean."
