Tuesday, 8th May at 2.00pm @ the JAC

ABSTRACT: Cassini recently discovered a 'geyser' on the surface on Saturn's moon Enceladus. The ejecta are coming from liquid water below the thin surface ice, and potentially the conditions for life could exist here. In March 2007, we used the JCMT to search for molecules in the geyser plume, and see if there is any chemical signature that could be related to biotic processes - I will discuss our preliminary results in the talk. Our observing team is supported by the new Scottish Universities Physics Alliance initiative in Astrobiology.