It looks like the best chances for the Solar System to produce life other than on the planet Earth isn't on a planet at all, but a moon. What makes it more interesting is that it's not just on any moon, but on Charon, the moon of our very own ex-planet, Pluto.

Scientists down at Hawaii's Gemini Telescope have discovered patches of ice crystals mixed with ammonia hydrates on the surface of Charon. Researchers, ruling out many theories on how the ice got there, concluded that the ice came from inside Charon itself, seeping out of cracks from the surface.

The process is known as cryo-volcanism, where liquid from below erupts to the surface and instantly freezes. Scientists believe that the cryo-volcanism in Charon is the result of a nuclear material inside it, causing the phenomenon. They also believe the ammonia hydrates acts as an antifreeze agent. Jason Cook, who led the research team that studied Charon's surface, explains:

Charon's surface is almost entirely water ice. So it must have a vast amount of water under the surface, and much of that should be frozen as well. Only deep inside Charon could water be a liquid. Yet, there is fresh ice on the surface, meaning that some liquid water must somehow reach the surface. The ammonia sitting on the surface provides the clue. It's the ammonia that helps keep some material liquid. It makes it all feasible. Without ammonia the water could not get out there.

Scientists are now speculating that Charon may hold life in her underbelly, with alien fish swimming its underground waters. The nuclear reactions would make this possible inside Charon, but the surface is a different matter, as it is far too cold (around -230 degrees Celsius.) It's funny to think that Pluto was named after the Roman god of the underworld, and Charon was the ferryman who took the dead to the underworld.

NASA's New Horizons probe, currently on the way to Pluto, will help scientists investigate Charon further when the probe arrives in July, 2015 to take a closer look and find more evidence.