Hopes warm for alien life: Nasa probe finds hot springs on Saturn's moon
by Ian Sample, science editor from on (#4R3C)
Hydrothermal activity detected by spacecraft finds that ocean deep below frozen surface of Enceladus is warm and could therefore increase chance of life
A small moon that circles Saturn harbours a warm water ocean beneath its thick icy crust, according to research that makes the distant body a prime target in the search for life elsewhere.
The discovery means Enceladus, a 300 mile-wide moon of the ringed planet, is the only place beyond Earth that is known to be hydrothermally active, providing a natural heating system for the subsurface ocean.
