Icy Moon
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Jupiter's Moon Europa May Be Supplying Its Ocean With Life-Supporting Matter, Find's Study
According to the study, this process could be an effective way to transport surface material to the ocean beneath Europa.
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Europa’s Hidden Ocean Could Be ‘Fed’ by Sinking Salted Ice; New Study Boosts Hopes for Alien Life
Europa, one of Jupiter’s icy moons, may have a more habitable ocean than once thought. New simulations show that dense, salt-rich ice on the surface can slowly sink through the moon’s thick ice shell and drip into the hidden ocean below. This process would deliver nutrients and oxidants over geological timescales, potentially sustaining conditi...
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Toxic Gas May Have Sparked Life on Earth Through Icy ‘Cobweb’ Crystals
Researchers at Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology suggest that frozen hydrogen cyanide may have helped trigger the chemistry that led to life on Earth. Their simulations show HCN forming cobweb-like ice crystals whose reactive surfaces enable unusual chemical reactions even in extreme cold. These processes could generate amino acids, nucl...
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Here's Why Saturn's Icy Moon Enceladus Is Prime Target In Search For Life
The findings are based on analysis of data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017.
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Spider-Like Scar on Jupiter’s Moon Europa Could Indicate Subsurface Salty Water
A spider-like scar on Jupiter’s moon Europa may indicate briny water beneath its icy crust. Researchers suggest impact-driven flows of salty liquid created starburst patterns resembling Earth’s lake stars. Future observations by NASA’s Europa Clipper mission could confirm these features, offering new insights into Europa’s subsurface oceans...
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Study Reveals Saturn's "Mimas" Moon Might Have Hidden Boiling Ocean Under Its Ice
But on larger icy moons, the ice layer may break up before the water boils, preventing the formation of a boiling ocean.
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Icy Moons Might Have Oceans That Briefly Boil, Study Suggests
A new study suggests that icy moons such as Mimas and Enceladus may host boiling subsurface oceans triggered by thinning ice shells and falling pressure. This low-temperature boiling could still support life beneath the surface. The research also explains geological features on larger icy moons and strengthens their potential as sites for finding e...
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Boiling Oceans May Hide Beneath Icy Moons, New Study Suggests
A new study suggests that icy moons such as Mimas and Enceladus may host boiling subsurface oceans triggered by thinning ice shells and falling pressure. This low-temperature boiling could still support life beneath the surface. The research also explains geological features on larger icy moons and strengthens their potential as sites for finding e...
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German Scientists Develop Laser Drill to Explore Icy Moons’ Hidden Oceans
Scientists from TU Dresden have created a laser drill that vaporises ice to reach potential subsurface oceans on Europa and Enceladus. Lighter and more energy-efficient than mechanical drills, it enables deep exploration with minimal power, paving the way for studying icy worlds and their potential for extraterrestrial life.
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Saturn’s Icy Moon Enceladus Organic Molecules May Have Been Fromed by Cosmic Rays, Scientists Find
Laboratory experiments reveal that radiation striking Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus can create simple organic molecules, reshaping how scientists interpret Cassini’s data and highlighting radiation’s key role in the chemistry of icy moons.
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More Ingredients For Life Discovered In Ocean On Saturn Moon
The ocean hidden under the icy shell of Saturn's moon Enceladus harbours complex organic molecules, a study said, offering further evidence that the small world could have all the right ingredients to host extraterrestrial life.
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ESA’s JUICE Probe Uses Venus Flyby to Stay on Track for Jupiter’s Icy Moons
The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) successfully executed a Venus flyby on August 31, 2025, using the planet’s gravity to speed toward Jupiter. Engineers overcame a brief antenna glitch before the maneuver, and the spacecraft endured Venus’s intense heat by shielding itself with its high-gain antenna.
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James Webb Telescope Discovers Tiny New Moon Orbiting Uranus
A team from the Southwest Research Institute has discovered a tiny new moon orbiting Uranus using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The moon, called S/2025 U1, is just 6 miles (10 kilometers) wide, too small for Voyager 2 to detect during its 1986 flyby. This discovery brings Uranus’s total known moons to 29, with S/2025 U1 orbiting 35,000 mil...
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Scientists Explore Role of Space Radiation in Powering Alien Microbial Life
A new study proposes that life may exist far from sunlight in a “radiolytic habitable zone” deep beneath the icy surfaces of Mars, Europa, and Enceladus. Cosmic rays, which can penetrate rock and ice, break water molecules apart to release hydrogen, oxygen, and energy-rich electrons. These can fuel microbes in subsurface water, much like bacter...
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ESA JUICE Mission Scans Jupiter's Lunar Crater in Test Run for Alien Life
ESA’s JUICE spacecraft scanned the famous Earthrise crater on the Moon to test radar for future exploration of Jupiter’s icy moons. The data confirmed JUICE’s radar accuracy, setting the stage for a search for life beneath Europa and Ganymede. The crater, immortalised in a 1968 Apollo 8 photo, now plays a role in extraterrestrial science.
-
Jupiter's Moon Europa May Be Supplying Its Ocean With Life-Supporting Matter, Find's Study
According to the study, this process could be an effective way to transport surface material to the ocean beneath Europa.
-
Europa’s Hidden Ocean Could Be ‘Fed’ by Sinking Salted Ice; New Study Boosts Hopes for Alien Life
Europa, one of Jupiter’s icy moons, may have a more habitable ocean than once thought. New simulations show that dense, salt-rich ice on the surface can slowly sink through the moon’s thick ice shell and drip into the hidden ocean below. This process would deliver nutrients and oxidants over geological timescales, potentially sustaining conditi...
-
Toxic Gas May Have Sparked Life on Earth Through Icy ‘Cobweb’ Crystals
Researchers at Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology suggest that frozen hydrogen cyanide may have helped trigger the chemistry that led to life on Earth. Their simulations show HCN forming cobweb-like ice crystals whose reactive surfaces enable unusual chemical reactions even in extreme cold. These processes could generate amino acids, nucl...
-
Here's Why Saturn's Icy Moon Enceladus Is Prime Target In Search For Life
The findings are based on analysis of data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017.
-
Spider-Like Scar on Jupiter’s Moon Europa Could Indicate Subsurface Salty Water
A spider-like scar on Jupiter’s moon Europa may indicate briny water beneath its icy crust. Researchers suggest impact-driven flows of salty liquid created starburst patterns resembling Earth’s lake stars. Future observations by NASA’s Europa Clipper mission could confirm these features, offering new insights into Europa’s subsurface oceans...
-
Study Reveals Saturn's "Mimas" Moon Might Have Hidden Boiling Ocean Under Its Ice
But on larger icy moons, the ice layer may break up before the water boils, preventing the formation of a boiling ocean.
-
Icy Moons Might Have Oceans That Briefly Boil, Study Suggests
A new study suggests that icy moons such as Mimas and Enceladus may host boiling subsurface oceans triggered by thinning ice shells and falling pressure. This low-temperature boiling could still support life beneath the surface. The research also explains geological features on larger icy moons and strengthens their potential as sites for finding e...
-
Boiling Oceans May Hide Beneath Icy Moons, New Study Suggests
A new study suggests that icy moons such as Mimas and Enceladus may host boiling subsurface oceans triggered by thinning ice shells and falling pressure. This low-temperature boiling could still support life beneath the surface. The research also explains geological features on larger icy moons and strengthens their potential as sites for finding e...
-
German Scientists Develop Laser Drill to Explore Icy Moons’ Hidden Oceans
Scientists from TU Dresden have created a laser drill that vaporises ice to reach potential subsurface oceans on Europa and Enceladus. Lighter and more energy-efficient than mechanical drills, it enables deep exploration with minimal power, paving the way for studying icy worlds and their potential for extraterrestrial life.
-
Saturn’s Icy Moon Enceladus Organic Molecules May Have Been Fromed by Cosmic Rays, Scientists Find
Laboratory experiments reveal that radiation striking Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus can create simple organic molecules, reshaping how scientists interpret Cassini’s data and highlighting radiation’s key role in the chemistry of icy moons.
-
More Ingredients For Life Discovered In Ocean On Saturn Moon
The ocean hidden under the icy shell of Saturn's moon Enceladus harbours complex organic molecules, a study said, offering further evidence that the small world could have all the right ingredients to host extraterrestrial life.
-
ESA’s JUICE Probe Uses Venus Flyby to Stay on Track for Jupiter’s Icy Moons
The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) successfully executed a Venus flyby on August 31, 2025, using the planet’s gravity to speed toward Jupiter. Engineers overcame a brief antenna glitch before the maneuver, and the spacecraft endured Venus’s intense heat by shielding itself with its high-gain antenna.
-
James Webb Telescope Discovers Tiny New Moon Orbiting Uranus
A team from the Southwest Research Institute has discovered a tiny new moon orbiting Uranus using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The moon, called S/2025 U1, is just 6 miles (10 kilometers) wide, too small for Voyager 2 to detect during its 1986 flyby. This discovery brings Uranus’s total known moons to 29, with S/2025 U1 orbiting 35,000 mil...
-
Scientists Explore Role of Space Radiation in Powering Alien Microbial Life
A new study proposes that life may exist far from sunlight in a “radiolytic habitable zone” deep beneath the icy surfaces of Mars, Europa, and Enceladus. Cosmic rays, which can penetrate rock and ice, break water molecules apart to release hydrogen, oxygen, and energy-rich electrons. These can fuel microbes in subsurface water, much like bacter...
-
ESA JUICE Mission Scans Jupiter's Lunar Crater in Test Run for Alien Life
ESA’s JUICE spacecraft scanned the famous Earthrise crater on the Moon to test radar for future exploration of Jupiter’s icy moons. The data confirmed JUICE’s radar accuracy, setting the stage for a search for life beneath Europa and Ganymede. The crater, immortalised in a 1968 Apollo 8 photo, now plays a role in extraterrestrial science.
