Normal view

Scientists used a method from ecology to identify whether icy moons could hold conditions for life

2 June 2026 at 15:51

New observatories and spacecraft missions are probing environments in our solar system that could potentially host life but have long remained hidden. Icy moons like Saturn’s Enceladus and Jupiter’s Europa likely contain oceans beneath frozen outer shells. But a layer of ice prohibits space probes from sampling them directly. Exploring these icy moons is almost forensic: Their surfaces keep aContinue reading "Scientists used a method from ecology to identify whether icy moons could hold conditions for life"

The post Scientists used a method from ecology to identify whether icy moons could hold conditions for life appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Webb Detects Methane in Atmosphere of Exo-Saturn TOI-199b

25 May 2026 at 19:16
An artist’s rendition of the ultrahot Jupiter TOI-1518b and its parent star. Image credit: Sci-News.com.

Using spectral data from the Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) onboard the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers analyzed the atmosphere of TOI-199b, a distant Saturn-mass world that is neither frozen nor scorching hot.

The post Webb Detects Methane in Atmosphere of Exo-Saturn TOI-199b appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

❌