by APOD Robot » Sun Sep 20, 2015 4:09 am
Global Ocean Suspected on Saturn's Enceladus
Explanation: Do some surface features on Enceladus roll like a
conveyor belt? A leading interpretation of
images taken of Saturn's
most explosive moon indicate that they do. This form of asymmetric
tectonic activity, very unusual on Earth, likely holds clues to the internal structure of
Enceladus, which may contain subsurface seas where
life might be able to develop.
Pictured above is a composite of 28 images taken by the robotic
Cassini spacecraft in 2008 just after swooping by the
ice-spewing orb. Inspection of these images show clear
tectonic displacements where large portions of the surface all appear to
move all in one direction. On the image right appears one of the most prominent tectonic divides:
Labtayt Sulci, a canyon about one kilometer deep. The small magnitude of Enceladus' wobble as it orbits Saturn might indicate damping by a globally extending
underground ocean layer.
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[url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150920.html][img]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_150920.jpg[/img] [size=150]Global Ocean Suspected on Saturn's Enceladus[/size][/url]
[b] Explanation: [/b] Do some surface features on Enceladus roll like a [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkQ58I53mjk]conveyor belt[/url]? A leading interpretation of [url=http://ciclops.org/view_event/98/Enceladus_Shifting_Terrain]images[/url] taken of Saturn's [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enceladus_(moon)]most explosive moon[/url] indicate that they do. This form of asymmetric [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics]tectonic activity[/url], very unusual on Earth, likely holds clues to the internal structure of [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search?tquery=Enceladus]Enceladus[/url], which may contain subsurface seas where [url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/media/enceladus-f20080326.html]life might[/url] be able to develop. [url=http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA11133]Pictured above[/url] is a composite of 28 images taken by the robotic [url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/spacecraft/instruments.html]Cassini spacecraft[/url] in 2008 just after swooping by the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap051205.html]ice-spewing orb[/url]. Inspection of these images show clear [url=http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/v3/n2/full/ngeo763.html]tectonic displacements[/url] where large portions of the surface all appear to [url=http://cddis.nasa.gov/926/slrtecto.html]move all[/url] in one direction. On the image right appears one of the most prominent tectonic divides: [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labtayt_Sulci]Labtayt Sulci[/url], a canyon about one kilometer deep. The small magnitude of Enceladus' wobble as it orbits Saturn might indicate damping by a globally extending [url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4718]underground ocean layer[/url].
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