Surprise methanol detection points to an evolving story of Enceladus's plumes

(Royal Astronomical Society) A serendipitous detection of the organic molecule methanol around an intriguing moon of Saturn suggests that material spewed from Enceladus undertakes a complex chemical journey once vented into space. This is the first time that a molecule from Enceladus has been detected with a ground-based telescope. Dr. Emily Drabek-Maunder, of Cardiff University, will present the results on Tuesday, July 4, at the National Astronomy Meeting at the University of Hull.