Saturn, August 2020

[astroavani]

Recently, NASA found evidence of fresh ice on Encélado, one of the moons on the planet Saturn, capable of harboring life.
The ice rinks were captured by infrared images recorded by the Cassini spacecraft, and were announced in a NASA statement. Enceladus is one of the bets of scientists to shelter life.
It is speculated that, some years ago, it was studied that there is an underground ocean beneath its thick icy crust, and that perhaps there are natural substances for the emergence of life. , the Enceladus looks quite uniform, with a shiny white icing, like a snowball sailing through space. In records captured by Cassini, astronomers found that some of that ice on the Moon is fresh.
Therefore, the event raised questions among scientists, and it is now speculated that internal activities are re-emerging in Enceladus. Although appearing uniform, the Moon of Saturn is not a peaceful place to live.
In 2005, the Cassini probe captured plumes of salt water emerging from four giant parallel chasms at the south pole of the moon, named 'Tiger Stripes'. Since then, the probe has seen more than 100 geysers in the region.
The parallel chasms are derived from the natural phenomenon that occurs in Saturn's orbit. The planet pulls and stretches its moon, causing internal warming and geothermal activity, forming cracks in the icy surface of the south pole. The geysers expel water from inside, reaching the surface and forming layers of frozen liquid.
These events were only discovered because of the new technology installed on the Cassini probe, called Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS). The tool collected the reflected light from Saturn, its ten main moons and its rings, and divided them into divergent wavelengths.
The Cassini spacecraft was sent to space in 1977, entering Saturn's orbit in 2004. Its mission was completed in 2017, when the spacecraft was launched against the planet's atmosphere. Even so, the probe managed to register new phenomena about Enceladus and inform NASA's headquarters.
Source: G Notícias - Daniela S. - 20/09/2020

[Nik271]

Impressive image, so many of the rings are visible, and even the Encke gap. Wow and even the polar hexagon!

Edited September 28, 2020 by Nik271