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Originally Posted by George
Any report of ammonia yet? It has been predicted that eruptions might happen on this icy moon due to its resonance, creating a slightly eccentric orbit which generates internal heat from tidal action. Aqueous ammonia doesn't freeze unitl 176K, so a viscous liquid state is deemed possible, if not likely.
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Actually it is very BIG news, because they are reporting an upper limit of less than 0.5% ammonia - meaning, actually stating the temperature of the water is at least 273k if not warmer, and further, the measured surface temperature near the southern pole of Enceladus is warmer than the average surface temperature of the earth. The implication is that this is the first place we have found where all of the conditions for life are met, outside our own planet.
It also means there is a source of heat that is virtually impossible to model within 'known' constraints - the 'known' mass, orbit, gravitational stress and inferred composition of Enceladus.