What causes the plumes on Enceladus?

What causes the plumes on Enceladus?

A Reprieve It appeared more likely that Enceladus was somehow warm enough to allow small reservoirs of liquid water to collect a few dozen feet below the moon’s surface. The water could shoot up through cracks and spray out like geysers, creating what was now being called a “plume” above the moon’s south pole.

What is ejected from the geysers on Enceladus?

The NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini spacecraft has observed water-vapour plumes in the south-polar region of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The plumes, resembling geysers on Earth, may be linked to the existence of underground reservoirs of liquid water.

What did Cassini discover about Enceladus geyser plume?

According to NASA scientists, the plumes are similar in composition to comets. In 2014, NASA reported that Cassini had found evidence for a large south polar subsurface ocean of liquid water with a thickness of around 10 km (6 mi).

What can we say about the geysers on Enceladus?

Enceladus’s geysers contain large organic molecules theorized to sit atop the moon’s subsurface ocean. Saturn’s moon Enceladus hides a water ocean beneath its icy crust, and it’s one of the likeliest candidates to harbor life beyond our own planet.

Why does Enceladus have geysers?

Saturn’s moon Enceladus is famous for the huge water-vapor geysers at its south pole, which are thought to originate from a global ocean deep beneath the moon’s outer ice crust. The famous geysers of water vapor at Enceladus’ south pole erupt through huge cracks in the icy surface.

Is Enceladus geologically active?

Enceladus is a small icy moon of Saturn that is geologically active, with an uncratered, tectonized region at the south pole characterized by excess thermal emission and geysers of salty ice grains, water vapor, and organic compounds. Enceladus may undergo cycles of activity and dormancy.

What did Voyager 2 discover about Enceladus?

Voyager showed that Enceladus sits in the thickest part of the E ring, suggesting that this tiny moon was somehow spewing material into space and building it up over time.

What is Voyager 2 powered?

Voyager’s power supply comes from a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), which turns heat from the decay of a radioactive material into electricity to power the spacecraft. Due to the natural decay of the material inside the RTG, Voyager 2’s power budget goes down by about 4 watts per year.

What is the geologic activity of Enceladus?

The dissipated heat resulting from this deformation is the main heating source for Enceladus’s geologic activity. Enceladus orbits within the densest part of Saturn’s E ring, the outermost of its major rings, and is the main source of the ring’s material composition.

Does Enceladus have a liquid water ocean?

Gravimetric data from Cassini’s December 2010 flybys showed that Enceladus likely has a liquid water ocean beneath its frozen surface, but at the time it was thought the subsurface ocean was limited to the south pole. The top of the ocean probably lies beneath a 30 to 40 kilometers (19 to 25 mi) thick ice shelf.

What is the surface temperature at noon on Enceladus?

Enceladus. It is about 500 kilometers (310 mi) in diameter, about a tenth of that of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. Enceladus is mostly covered by fresh, clean ice, making it one of the most reflective bodies of the Solar System. Consequently, its surface temperature at noon only reaches −198 °C…

What did Cassini find on Enceladus?

Cassini discovered that geyser-like jets spew water vapor and ice particles from an underground ocean beneath the icy crust of Enceladus. With its global ocean, unique chemistry and internal heat, Enceladus has become a promising lead in our search for worlds where life could exist.