Enceladus
Listening to: DARE - Gorillaz
It’s really exciting to see that reality can can be as
strange as, or stranger than, science fiction:
Cassini discoveries at Enceladus include:
- presence of a strange atmosphere concentrated at the south pole
- atmosphere mostly (91%) water vapour, but with some nitrogen, carbon dioxide and other
simple carbon-based molecules (organics)- large crevasse features at south pole dubbed tiger stripes
- intriguing hotspot at south pole - anomalous warmth in the area of the tiger stripes
- presence of “orderly” water-ice at south pole, especially within tiger stripe features,
indicates region must have been very hot, be very young, or both presence of simple
organics along the fractures- indication that water vapour and fine material are being ejected from tiger stripes
- fine ice material is probably the significant and sustaining source of ice particles
that make up Saturn’s outermost ring - its E ring
