IN GREEK mythology, Enceladus was a giant who was defeated in battle by Athena and buried under Mount Etna. When the giant hisses, Mount Etna erupts.
A billion and a half kilometres from the sun, Saturn’s moon Enceladus is a tiny world of ice. Yet, like its namesake, it has an explosive personality, and it is now the hottest property in astrobiology. New findings suggest that the geysers spewing from the moon’s south polar area are signs of a watery layer perhaps a few tens of metres below the surface (see “Saturn’s miniature moon a possible haven for life”).…
