Harry Coumnas Talks about the Habitability of Solar System's Natural Satellites
When it comes to habitable environments within the Solar system, African astronomer Harry Coumnas feels that the focus should be more on natural satellites rather than the planets. There are several reasons for it, foremost being that natural satellites generally tend to outnumber planets & also it’s hypothesized that their habitability factors are most likely to be the same as those of the planets. According to Harry Coumnas , there are a number of natural satellites in the Solar System which can harbor life; however the strongest candidate for habitability is Saturn’s 6th largest moon, “Enceladus”. It is a beautiful icy moon with the presence of many life-supporting elements such as water, organic molecules, etc. Talking about the surface of Enceladus, it is made of 99% water ice & has liquid water beneath it. One of the major factors that indicate the possibility of life on Enceladus is that it has a boiling core of molten rock that can result in a toasty temperature essent...