101 Geysers Discovered On Saturn Moon By Cassini Spacecraft
- 10 years ago
Data from NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft shows evidence of a hundred and one geysers on the moon of Saturn known as Enceladus. Expert analysis suggests that the geysers are spouting from beneath the surface through fractures called tiger stripes in the southern polar area of the moon.
Data from NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft shows evidence of a hundred and one geysers on one of Saturn’s moons known as Enceladus.
Expert analysis suggests that the geysers are spouting from beneath the surface through fractures called tiger stripes in the southern polar area of the moon.
The geysers were first noticed in 2005 emanating from the 4 tiger stripe fractures each measuring around 84 miles long, and tides created by the moon’s orbit around Saturn were believed to be the cause.
This discovery shows that it might be possible for liquid water from the moon’s underground ocean to breach the surface of the icy crust.
To study the geysers, NASA scientists compared their location with thermal maps of the moon.
Carolyn Porco, leader of the Cassini imaging team from the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and lead author of one of the studies is quoted as saying: "Once we had these results in hand, we knew right away heat was not causing the geysers, but vice versa. It also told us the geysers are not a near-surface phenomenon, but have much deeper roots."
Data from NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft shows evidence of a hundred and one geysers on one of Saturn’s moons known as Enceladus.
Expert analysis suggests that the geysers are spouting from beneath the surface through fractures called tiger stripes in the southern polar area of the moon.
The geysers were first noticed in 2005 emanating from the 4 tiger stripe fractures each measuring around 84 miles long, and tides created by the moon’s orbit around Saturn were believed to be the cause.
This discovery shows that it might be possible for liquid water from the moon’s underground ocean to breach the surface of the icy crust.
To study the geysers, NASA scientists compared their location with thermal maps of the moon.
Carolyn Porco, leader of the Cassini imaging team from the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and lead author of one of the studies is quoted as saying: "Once we had these results in hand, we knew right away heat was not causing the geysers, but vice versa. It also told us the geysers are not a near-surface phenomenon, but have much deeper roots."