Water may spew from moon of Saturn, astronomers say

Saturn's icy moon, Enceladus, shows signs of geysers spewing liquid water, raising the possibility it might harbour life.

High-resolution images taken by the Cassini spacecraft show icy jets on the moon releasing high-speed particles.

Researchers have concluded the particles are erupting from pockets of liquid water near the surface of the moon.

Carolyn Porco, Cassini imaging team leader at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo., called the evidence a "smoking gun" showing the existence of water on Enceladus.

"We realize that this is a radical conclusion, that we may have evidence for liquid water within a body so small and so cold." Porco said in a release.

However, if the team's interpretation is correct, the list of candidates in the solar system where organisms might live could be expanded, she said.

Their study appears in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

• FROM DEC. 6, 2005: Cassini captures icy plumes on Saturn moon

Its icy surface makes it the shiniest known body in the solar system.