Space Topics: Saturn
The Year in Pictures: 2005
Cassini Discovers Ice Fountains on Enceladus
Credit: NASA / JPL / Space Science Institute |
Credit: NASA / JPL / Space Science Institute |
November 27. In July of 2005, Saturn's moon Enceladus was added to
the very short list of worlds on which geologic activity had been caught in
the act. The
discovery was made by nearly all of the Cassini
orbiter's instruments acting
in concert. Four "tiger stripe" features crossing Enceladus'
south pole were found to be spewing water vapor into a thin atmosphere around
the pole.
Later the same year, Cassini's cameras gazed upon Enceladus
from its night side and acquired
this back-lit view of water vapor fountains emanating from the pole. How a moon as tiny as Enceladus can be producing
enough heat to generate this geologic activity is not understood, but Cassini
has two and a half more years -- and a likely extended mission -- to continue
its investigations of the ice geysers of this little world.
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