Salty Enceladus

Scientists using data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft have found important amounts of salt in the geyser spray of Saturn's moon, Enceladus. They found small amounts of salt in Saturn's wispy E-Ring, which is maintained by Enceladus' geyser eruptions, and higher amounts on the moon's surface just outside the geysers-- precisely the situation to be expected if the salt was erupting out of the geysers from deep within.

On Earth, ocean water is salty because of the interaction between water and the rock surrounding it, and scientists are assuming the same holds on Enceladus. Salt, therefore, is further evidence that an ocean of liquid water exists under the Enceladus ice shell, which in turn strengthens the case for life possibly existing at that moon.