Astronomers see 6,000-mile water vapour plume blasting from Saturn moon

Extraordinary' sighting may open window on possibility of life beneath Enceladus's icy outer crust

Astronomers have spotted an enormous plume of water vapour blasting out of Enceladus, a tiny moon of Saturn that is considered one of the most promising places to find life beyond Earth.

The record-breaking plume reached nearly 6,000 miles into space - covering the distance between Ireland and Japan - and poured water into the void at an estimated rate of 300 litres a second.