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Eugene

(61,592 posts)
Fri Oct 30, 2015, 09:25 PM Oct 2015

Cassini Flyby Reveals What Saturn's 'Geyser Moon' Enceladus Looks Like Up Close

Source: ABC News



Cassini Flyby Reveals What Saturn's 'Geyser Moon' Enceladus Looks Like Up Close

By ALYSSA NEWCOMB Oct 30, 2015, 3:34 PM ET

The frigid world of Saturn's moon Enceladus has come into view in a set of new photos released today by NASA.

NASA's hugely successful Cassini space probe got up close with a plume from an alien ocean during a flyby earlier this week. The plunge was significant because NASA said the moon's global ocean and evidence of possible hydrothermal activity means it could hold the ingredients needed to support simple life.

"Cassini's stunning images are providing us a quick look at Enceladus from this ultra-close flyby, but some of the most exciting science is yet to come," Linda Spilker, the mission's project scientist, said in a statement. She said much of the data is still being sent back to Earth.

When Cassini made its "deep dive," it passed within 30 miles of Enceladus' south pole, moving through icy spray believed to come from the ocean.

One of the most important measurements Cassini took is the amount of molecular hydrogen in the plume. That's two hydrogen atoms stuck together -- the lightest molecule in the universe. Knowing this level will provide more insight on how much hydrothermal activity is happening on the moon, according to scientists. Hydrothermal activity, which is the interaction between hot water and rocks, would indicate the potential for simple life forms to exist in the moon's ocean.

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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/cassini-flyby-reveals-saturns-geyser-moon-enceladus-close/story?id=34860531


Source: Orlando Sentinel



NASA spacecraft captures icy geysers on Saturn's moon during flyby

By Emilee Speck
OCTOBER 30, 2015, 6:39 PM

After a daring flyby of Saturn’s moon the Cassini spacecraft is transmitting some amazing photos of the icy geyers located on Enceladus’ southern pole.

NASA released the first unprocessed image (above) of Enceladus’ plumes on Friday. The view shows the glowing geysers captured by Cassini’s onboard cameras. It may look like it, but that's not snow, because the image is unprocessed those streaks are from background stars appear and the bright specks are actually electronic noise, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Cassini made the deepest dive at 30 miles from Enceladus’ surface through the icy geysers on Wednesday gathering particles. NASA scientists are searching for the presence of molecular hydrogen (H2) in these particles to determine how much hydrothermal activity is happening in the moon’s ocean. The global ocean beneath Enceladus' icy crust is thought to fuel the frosty plumes.

The analysis of the particles collected by Cassini’s instruments will take several weeks, according to NASA.

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Read more: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/go-for-launch/os-nasa-cassini-captures-icy-geysers-enceladus-saturn-flyby-20151030-post.html

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Cassini Flyby Reveals What Saturn's 'Geyser Moon' Enceladus Looks Like Up Close (Original Post) Eugene Oct 2015 OP
More life. mhatrw Oct 2015 #1
What Saturn's 'Geyser Moon' Enceladus Looks Like Up Close AlbertCat Oct 2015 #2
Alligator Skin n2doc Nov 2015 #3

n2doc

(47,953 posts)
3. Alligator Skin
Sun Nov 1, 2015, 02:49 PM
Nov 2015

During its closest ever dive past the active south polar region of Saturn's moon Enceladus, NASA's Cassini spacecraft quickly shuttered its imaging cameras to capture glimpses of the fast moving terrain below. This view has been processed to remove slight smearing present in the original, unprocessed image that was caused by the spacecraft's fast motion.

A labeled version of this image includes a scale bar.

This view is centered on terrain at 57 degrees south latitude, 324 degrees west longitude. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Oct. 28, 2015.

The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 77 miles (124 kilometers) from Enceladus. Image scale is 49 feet (15 meters) per pixel.
http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA17204
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