Carbon-based molecules on Saturn moon raise chance of finding life

The likelihood that one of Saturn's moons may harbour life has risen after experts found an array of carbon-based substances being spewed out of Enceladus.

- Nicola Davis

The sixth largest of Saturn's moons, Enceladus has become one of the leading contenders in the search for bodies that could harbour extraterrestrial life. The Cassini mission - which ended in 2017 - revealed the moon has plumes of water ice grains and vapours erupting from beneath the surface at its south pole.

The phenomenon has since been captured by the James Webb space telescope, with a huge plume reaching nearly 6,000 miles into space. The source of this material is thought to be a saltwater ocean that lies beneath the moon's icy crust.