In This Article
30-Second Summary
Headline Link: ‘Organic Matter Found on Moon of Saturn’
Background: Cassini-Huygens
Opinion & Analysis: The possibility of extraterrestrial origins of life on Earth
Reference: The Cassini-Huygens project and extraterrestrial organic compounds
Related Topics: ‘Methane Gas Detected on Distant Planet’
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Building Blocks of Life Found on Saturn Moon
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Exploratory spacecraft Cassini found carbon-based molecules in water vapor over Saturn’s moon Enceladus, raising the possibility that life could exist there.
30-Second Summary
Along with the presence of water vapor, Cassini identified methane and other simple organic compounds in a cloud emitted from a geyser on Enceladus’ surface.
NASA points out that combined with heat, such as that found in the geyser, the environment inside of the moon is similar to the conditions under which anaerobic bacteria thrive on Earth.
The Enceladus geysers themselves are a new discovery. Until Cassini sent images showing otherwise, astronomers thought the moon was barren. “This is the type of thing scientists who study the solar system really live for,” said Torrence Johnson, a Cassini mission scientist.
In reference to the “primordial soup” theory applied to the genesis of life on Earth, NASA says that Enceladus could “serve up a suitable prebiotic soup.”
However, there are other hypotheses about the origin of life. For instance, panspermia is the theory that life arose from an extraterrestrial object, such as a meteorite or a comet, that showered Earth with organic material. According to Beloit College astronomy professor Britt Scharringhausen, “Most astronomers find panspermia to be improbable, but not necessarily impossible.”
NASA points out that combined with heat, such as that found in the geyser, the environment inside of the moon is similar to the conditions under which anaerobic bacteria thrive on Earth.
The Enceladus geysers themselves are a new discovery. Until Cassini sent images showing otherwise, astronomers thought the moon was barren. “This is the type of thing scientists who study the solar system really live for,” said Torrence Johnson, a Cassini mission scientist.
In reference to the “primordial soup” theory applied to the genesis of life on Earth, NASA says that Enceladus could “serve up a suitable prebiotic soup.”
However, there are other hypotheses about the origin of life. For instance, panspermia is the theory that life arose from an extraterrestrial object, such as a meteorite or a comet, that showered Earth with organic material. According to Beloit College astronomy professor Britt Scharringhausen, “Most astronomers find panspermia to be improbable, but not necessarily impossible.”
Headline Link: ‘Organic Matter Found on Moon of Saturn’
Exploratory spacecraft Cassini found organic matter while diving in the geysers of Enceladus. NASA scientists say the discovery is grounds for further research into whether life can exist in the conditions found on the moon.
Source: Philadelphia ABC affiliate WPVI
Background: Cassini-Huygens
The space exploratory vehicle Cassini was launched on Oct. 15, 1997. Its mission was to deliver a probe called Huygens to the Saturn moon Titan and then remain in orbit to study the composition and possible history of the planet’s rings and other moons. It is also supposed to collect data on Saturn’s atmosphere and magnetic field. Cassini’s trajectory took the spacecraft on a circle around Venus, swinging around into the outer solar system, snapping shots of the asteroid belt along the way.
Source: National Space Science Data Center
Torrence Johnson, a scientist working on the Cassini-Huygens project, says that the images and data sent back from the spacecraft “is the type of thing that scientists who study the solar system really live for.” Prior to Cassini’s flyby, Enceladus was thought to be small and non-descript. The spacecraft proved the contrary, however, showing blue valleys and “geysers essentially backlit by the sun.”
Source: YouTube
Scientists involved with Cassini speak about the latest discoveries and data in a series of video “flyby updates” on the project’s official Web site.
Source: The Cassini-Huygens project
Opinion & Analysis: The possibility of extraterrestrial origins of life on Earth
“Panspermia” is the theory that life on Earth has extraterrestrial origins. The most common hypothesis is that comets brought organic compounds to Earth, although others have speculated that life evolved from bacterial spores from other solar systems. “Most astronomers find panspermia to be improbable, but not necessarily impossible,” says Britt Scharringhausen, an astronomy professor at Beloit College. She continues, “Most astronomers are also quite skeptical of the notion that life could be efficiently transferred from one solar system to another … it seems like a one-in-a-billion shot.”
Source: Curious About Astronomy
After noticing molecules chemically similar to cellulose in a spectrum of interstellar dust, astronomers Chandra Wickramasinghe and Sir Fred Hoyle decided in 1979 to compare the dust spectra to dried bacteria found on Earth. Finding the similarities uncanny, the two scientists “concluded the grains probably were dried, frozen bacteria.” This theory has not been accepted by mainstream astronomers.
Source: Cosmic Ancestry
Three ecosystems found on Earth survive in pitch-dark, oxygen free environments that parallel the conditions likely found inside Enceladus. Two are methanogens, types of bacteria dwelling in Idaho Falls and in the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest. The other takes its energy from natural radioactivity deep within a South African mine. The “primordial soup” theory surmises that life on Earth emerged from a heated liquid mixture of organic compounds. NASA says Enceladus has the conditions that could “serve up a suitable prebiotic soup.”
Source: The Cassini-Huygens project
Reference: The Cassini-Huygens project and extraterrestrial organic compounds
The official Web site of the Cassini-Huygens project features a photo journal of the mission, simulated views of the spacecraft’s current position, 2008 tour highlights and information for educators.
Source: The Cassini-Huygens project
“Planetary and Interstellar Processes Relevant to the Origins of Life,” a book edited by D.C.B. Whittet, argues that the extraterrestrial presence of organic compounds and of solar systems “strongly suggests … that planetary systems are commonplace.” The book is available from findingDulcinea’s Bookstore.
Source: findingDulcinea’s Bookstore
Related Topics: ‘Methane Gas Detected on Distant Planet’
For the first time, scientists have discovered methane in the atmosphere of a planet in another solar system—the latest in a series of astronomical breakthroughs.
Source: findingDulcinea
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