Located around Saturn is the icy moon Enceladus — one of the most interesting and potentially habitable moons in the solar system. NASA’s Cassini mission extensively studied Saturn and its moons from 2004 to 2017 and, in 2005, revealed large geyser-like jets extending from Enceladus’ south pole.
Later studies would suggest that a massive subsurface ocean was responsible for the jets, which are primarily comprised of water ice. Now, in a new study using archival Cassini data, a team of scientists has discovered a plethora of new complex organic molecules within these jets. The presence of the new molecules in the jets proves that complex chemical reactions are occurring in Enceladus’ subsurface ocean.