Cassini finds atmosphere around Enceladus
Posted: Fri, Mar 18, 2005, 6:00 AM ET (1100 GMT)
NASA's Cassini spacecraft has detected a tenuous atmosphere surrounding the Saturnian moon Enceladus, scientists said this week. The discovery was based on observations of Saturn's magnetic field made by the spacecraft during two flybys of the small moon in the last month. During each flyby Cassini observed deflection of magnetospheric plasma and oscillations in the magnetic field in the vicinity of the moon, which scientists said would be caused if the moon was surrounded by a thin atmosphere, most likely of water vapor. Because Enceladus is a small moon, only 500 kilometers across, it is not massive enough to hold an atmosphere for any length of time, and thus would need to have the atmosphere replenished continuously, perhaps through geysers or volcanic eruptions. Scientists have long speculated that the icy moon is geologically active and is the source of Saturn's E ring.
NASA's Cassini spacecraft has detected a tenuous atmosphere surrounding the Saturnian moon Enceladus, scientists said this week. The discovery was based on observations of Saturn's magnetic field made by the spacecraft during two flybys of the small moon in the last month. During each flyby Cassini observed deflection of magnetospheric plasma and oscillations in the magnetic field in the vicinity of the moon, which scientists said would be caused if the moon was surrounded by a thin atmosphere, most likely of water vapor. Because Enceladus is a small moon, only 500 kilometers across, it is not massive enough to hold an atmosphere for any length of time, and thus would need to have the atmosphere replenished continuously, perhaps through geysers or volcanic eruptions. Scientists have long speculated that the icy moon is geologically active and is the source of Saturn's E ring.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, March 21
Military sites could help launch SA into space
The Times (South Africa) — 9:42 am ET (1342 GMT) New Mexico residents have yet to book spaceflights
Las Cruces (NM) Sun-News — 9:42 am ET (1342 GMT) The dotcom millionaires launching their own private space race
The Guardian — 9:37 am ET (1337 GMT) NASA jobs in limbo
Galveston Daily News — 9:33 am ET (1333 GMT) Satellite sending solar-storm data to CU
Denver Post — 9:32 am ET (1332 GMT) |