Saturn Moon Spitting

Saturn Moon Spitting

www.huffingtonpost.com

NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured unusual photos of Saturn's moon Enceladus 'bursting at the seams.'

In a tweet, NASA described Enceladus as 'spitting something' from its surface, and indeed the images show a series of plumes emanating from the planet's surface.

Dramatic plumes, both large and small, spray water ice out from many locations along the famed "tiger stripes" near the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus. The tiger stripes are fissures that spray icy particles, water vapor and organic compounds.

More than 30 individual jets of different sizes can be seen in this image and more than 20 of them had not been identified before. At least one jet spouting prominently in previous images now appears less powerful.

(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 2/24/2010 by iMacFanatic]

Now this is fascinating.

Besides the existence of a giant mother ship emerging from its camouflage as a moon...I wonder what the actual forces are tearing it apart.

Most likely geological or gravitational in nature. Though I don't know whether Saturn's gravitational pull would cause it or not...I mean, not unless the moon is close enough.

But geological...now that is interesting...

Is it rotating too fast...is its core unstable...perhaps too hot...I would assume some sort of volcanic activity is involved.
www.huffingtonpost.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 2/24/2010 by iMacFanatic]

Originally posted by iMacFanatic


Besides the existence of a giant mother ship emerging from its camouflage as a moon...I wonder what the actual forces are tearing it apart.

[edit on 2/24/2010 by iMacFanatic]

Are you being serious with that statement? What makes you say that? Provide evidence if thats your case because im curious.

Cool pics, but hard to see the actual vapor it looks more like light beaming out....hmm maybe theyre having a movie premier.

Earth's global warming, man. It's real and it's reached Saturn's moons. Now it's melting Encaladus and we're all screwed (once again).

reply to post by iMacFanatic

The plumes were first discovered more than 4 years ago. More have been found.
www.spaceref.com...

They are not evidence of Enceladus "tearing itself apart". They are evidence of an internal heating process. Possibly tidal effects from Saturn.
www.ucsc.edu...


[edit on 2/24/2010 by Phage]

reply to post by Zeta Reticuli

Oh come on now do I have to start writing this is sarcasm every time I try to be funny?

reply to post by iMacFanatic


Yes.

reply to post by Zeta Reticuli

I swear...literalists.

I suggest you develop some sarcasm radar. It would do you well.

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by iMacFanatic

 

The plumes were first discovered more than 4 years ago. More have been found.
www.spaceref.com...

They are not evidence of Enceladus "tearing itself apart". They are evidence of an internal heating process. Possibly tidal effects from Saturn.
www.ucsc.edu...
[edit on 2/24/2010 by Phage]

Yes they were discovered four years ago but honestly...none of us know what is going on there so it is possible that it is being torn apart just as it is possible that it is not.

BUT an internal heating process suggests something is happening whether its caused by a tidal pull or not...assuming there is liquid under the surface.

Besides that the very fact that the plumes in question are not just breaching the surface not just in a few places but all over the place suggests that whatever is happening its relatively close to the surface...and violent.

So...to sum it up we don't know what's happening and it could just as well be a giant mother ship emerging from its camouflage as a moon.

I'm kidding Zeta.

Originally posted by iMacFanatic
Yes they were discovered four years ago but honestly...none of us know what is going on there so it is possible that it is being torn apart just as it is possible that it is not.

Really?

Because I'd just call that propaganda and wishful thinking. You inserted your own opinion in an attempt to create extravagance, which is just misleading.

For the record, though, I caught the sarcasm.

reply to post by iMacFanatic

The plumes do not appear "all over the place". They appear in a very specific region near the south pole of the Moon, the four "tiger stripes".

There is nothing that suggests the plumes originate near the surface. The highest temperature found at the surface of the tiger stripes is a bit higher than -135ºF. While quite a bit "warmer" the the surrounding areas it's still pretty damned cold. The heat which causes the plumes must be much greater than that and originate deep under the surface. The water vapor freezing into ice crystals on its way upward.

The relatively "warm" temperatures add fuel to the theory that there could be large areas, even a global sea, of liquid water beneath the ice. The presence of salts in the plumes indicates that the water would exist in contact with the rocky core of the moon and that the heating comes from that core.


euro.astrobio.net...

Anyone else notice the detail of this moon photo? That could be our moon photo with how clear it can be seen. So why is our moon photo's not more detailed when it is closer than Saturn?

reply to post by ExPostFacto

I'm not sure what you mean by detail.
The resolution of the image is not even close to that of images from the Moon.

The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 14,000 kilometers (9,000 miles) from Enceladus and at a sun-Enceladus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 145 degrees. Image scale is 81 meters (267 feet) per pixel.

photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov...

The LRO orbits the Moon at 50km and provides a resolution of .5 meters per pixel.


[edit on 2/24/2010 by Phage]

reply to post by Phage


So, is this anything to be alarmed about? Could this happen to our moon?

reply to post by ladyinwaiting


Nope.
Our Moon is not covered in a very thick crust of ice.
Our Moon does not have a sea of liquid water beneath that crust it doesn't have.

It would be pretty cool if it did, but it don't.

I find it fascinating that gravitic/tidal influences are what is probably causing so much violence on such a small moon. Does anyone know what the relative estimates of the actual interior "rock" is?

reply to post by Phage


Ahh, of course. Thanks. Actually I don't much like the prospect of this happening to our moon, so I'm happy to realize it's not the same!

Once again, Electric Universe theory explains EVERYTHING:

In the case of Enceladus, a Yellowstone type geyser requires a mixture of vapor, liquid, and ice particles – such a "cold” geyser would require pure water at a temperature of 273K (0˚ C) or above, less than 10 meters from the surface. For such a string of unlikely conditions, the probability rapidly approaches zero.

Testing the possibility that Enceladus’ jets are electrical—a virtual certainty in the eyes of the electric theorists—should be an immediate priority, before scientists convince themselves that we should embark on another expensive and misguided quest for life on a tiny frozen moon in the outer solar system.

Enceladus orbits in the inner regions of Saturn's magnetosphere where the particle flux is high. But "particle flux" is typically nothing more than an astrophysical euphemism for an electrical current. And electric currents in space follow magnetic field lines. Within Saturn's magnetosphere Enceladus will encounter currents in the polar regions. It seems probable that the south polar region of Enceladus has its own magnetic field, which could concentrate an electrical current in that region. In fact, sharp gradients in the magnetic field were encountered during Cassini’s closest approach to Enceladus—a typical indicator of current boundaries.

Planetary scientists continue to perpetuate misunderstanding when they call the “Tiger Stripes” of Enceladus “cracks” that allow water to reach the surface. The channels are, in fact, precise analogs of those seen on Europa. Their frequent parallelism, their ridges or levees, and their ability to cut across all other channels in their paths stand as a definitive contradiction of the “fracturing” hypothesis. The pictures suggest something akin to a “claw” or router bit dragged across the surface in disregard for prior surface relief. That is a unique signature of an electric arc. In contrast, fracturing is invariably affected by a pre-existing surface channel or groove, as anyone who has ever worked with a glasscutter knows very well

Astronomers Stunned

Originally posted by iMacFanatic

Besides that the very fact that the plumes in question are not just breaching the surface not just in a few places but all over the place suggests that whatever is happening its relatively close to the surface...and violent.

"Thar she blows! man the long boats! grab your harpoon, the zeta octopi are on the rampage!"

By the way its not Huffington Post saying this is happening...it was NASA saying its happening.