Orpington Astronomical Society

Astronomy => In the Media... => Topic started by: Mike on Aug 17, 2004, 14:54:00

Title: Saturn's Moons as seen by Cassini
Post by: Mike on Aug 17, 2004, 14:54:00
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press-releases-04/20040816-pr-a.cfm
Title: Cassini finds two new moons of Saturn
Post by: Whitters on Aug 18, 2004, 07:25:00
See also...
Two new moons orbiting between Mimas and Enceladus, discovered by the NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini-Huygens spacecraft, may be the smallest bodies so far seen around the ringed planet.

Read more:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Cassini-Huygens/SEMN7LW4QWD_0.html
Title: New Images of Saturn's Moon Dione Released
Post by: Whitters on Nov 28, 2004, 06:44:00
A gorgeous Dione poses for the NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini-Huygens spacecraft, with shadowed craters and bright wispy streaks first observed by the US Voyager spacecraft 24 years ago.

More at:
http://saturn.esa.int
Title: Saturn's Moons as seen by Cassini
Post by: Rick on Nov 16, 2005, 21:30:46
The Cassini spacecraft has captured a striking image of Saturn's moons Dione and Tethys passing each other across the planet's ring system.

See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4442246.stm
and: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm
Title: Saturn moon 'may have an ocean'
Post by: Mike on Mar 10, 2006, 16:49:24
Saturn's moon Enceladus could harbour a liquid water ocean beneath its icy crust, according to data sent back by the Cassini spacecraft.

Until Cassini reached Saturn, the tiny moon had received little attention.

But Enceladus is now the focus of intensive study following the discovery that it is geologically active.

Enceladus may possess reservoirs of near-surface liquid water that erupt to form geysers - and where there's water, there may be life, scientists argue.

These jets have been observed erupting from a "hot spot" in the moon's south polar region.

Scientists on the mission have likened them to the kinds of geysers found in Yellowstone National Park in the US.

(http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41424000/jpg/_41424622_enc_nasa_203.jpg)

For the full story from the BBC News website click here - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4790126.stm
Title: Saturn's moon 'best bet for life'
Post by: Mike on Apr 11, 2006, 14:13:49
Saturn's tiny moon Enceladus may be the best place to look for life elsewhere in the Solar System.

That is the view of a senior scientist working on the Cassini spacecraft, which has been studying Saturn and its moons for nearly two years.

Dr Bob Brown told a major conference in Vienna, Austria, Enceladus contains simple organic molecules, water and heat, the ingredients for life.

He raised the possibility of future missions to probe inside the moon.

Other research presented at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) annual meeting suggests that Enceladus may have a core of molten rock reaching temperatures of 1,400K (above 1,100C).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4895358.stm
Title: Saturn moon's cosmic graffiti art
Post by: Rick on Feb 09, 2007, 19:29:36
Saturn's moon Enceladus is a "cosmic graffiti artist", with geysers which spray out material that eventually settles over other satellites.

Hubble Space Telescope observations show how material from Enceladus alters the appearance of its neighbours.

One of Saturn's rings - the E ring - is largely made up of icy material from Enceladus' volcanic plumes.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6343877.stm
Title: Hot start explains moon's geysers
Post by: Rick on Mar 14, 2007, 17:26:32
The plumes of water that erupt from Saturn's icy satellite Enceladus can be traced back to a radioactive "meltdown" shortly after the moon formed.

The discovery, in 2005, of water vapour spewing from geysers at Enceladus' south pole took scientists by surprise.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6445323.stm

Lunar and Planetary Sciences Conference: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2007/

Cassini-Huygens (NASA): http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm
Cassini-Huygens (ESA): http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Cassini-Huygens/
Title: Cassini to make third Enceladus flyby
Post by: Rick on Aug 03, 2007, 10:43:39
NASA has announced plans to send the Cassini spacecraft back for a closer look at Enceladus, the Saturnian moon with famously leaky tiger stripes.

As part of its freshly declared budget clampdown, the agency says it wants to improve the value of space exploration by getting more science out of existing missions. Sending Cassini back for a closer look at the tiny but mysterious moon will help it do just that.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/02/nasa_enceladus_recycling/
(And: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/31/enceladus_puzzle/ )
Title: Enceladus' icy threat to Cassini
Post by: Rick on Aug 23, 2007, 16:40:57
The Cassini spacecraft could be at risk of damage when it makes its next closest approach to the moon Enceladus.

Mission managers have warned that the larger particles of dust and ice emanating from the southern pole of Enceladus pose a real threat to the craft.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/23/enceladus_cassini/
Title: Cassini team ties icy jets to tiger stripes
Post by: Rick on Oct 12, 2007, 13:21:17
The tiger stripes at the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus are indeed responsible for the powerful jets emerging from the body.

The imaging team on the Cassini mission to the Saturn system have spent two years pouring over pictures of Enceladus, trying to determine the source of the icy jets once and for all.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/12/enceladus_tiger_ice/
Title: Sodium issue clouds Enceladus
Post by: Rick on Dec 16, 2007, 22:30:20
An ocean is not the source of the jets emanating from Saturn's moon Enceladus, a new study concludes.

The research questions the moon's promise as a target in the search for life beyond Earth and has stirred controversy among scientists who dispute its conclusions.

A chemical analysis of Enceladus, led by University of Colorado planetary scientist Nick Schneider, failed to detect sodium, an element scientists say should be in a body of water that has had billions of years of contact with rock.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7145530.stm
Title: Re: Saturn's Moons as seen by Cassini
Post by: mickw on Mar 08, 2008, 09:03:00
Saturn's moon Rhea could be a mini version of its ringed parent and the first moon known to have rings of its own.
Scientists detected hints of the rings when the Cassini spacecraft flew by the moon, Saturn's second largest, in November 2005
"This showed that there was something unique going on," said Geraint Jones, a Cassini scientist. "We haven't seen anything like this at any of the other moons. The only thing we can come up with that fits what we see is that maybe there is some debris around Rhea. If it is correct this would be the first moon where we have evidence of rings."

More:  http://www.space.com/080306-rhea-rings.html
Title: Cassini to surf Enceladus's icy plumes
Post by: Rick on Mar 11, 2008, 13:10:59
NASA's Cassini spacecraft will tomorrow do an "in your face" flyby of diminutive Saturnian moon Enceladus, passing as close as 50km (30 miles) above the surface in an attempt to gain valuable data on geysers spewing water vapour and other matter from giant fractures at the body's south pole.

Cassini discovered the geysers on the 500km (310 mile) diameter body back in 2005, prompting speculation it might have "vast stores" of liquid water. The geysers are throwing out material at 400 metres per second (800mph) to a distance of three times Enceladus's radius and creating "an enormous halo of fine ice dust" around the moon, some of which which supplies Saturn's E-ring.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/11/cassini_enceladus_flyby/
Title: Cassini makes audacious flyby
Post by: Rick on Mar 13, 2008, 16:57:43
Such is the interest in Enceladus that Nasa directed its Cassini spacecraft to pass just 50km from the Saturnian moon. The flyby took the probe through the plumes of icy particles emanating from the enigmatic cracks at the south pole dubbed the "tiger stripes".

The cause of this activity has developed into the big scientific question of the flagship mission.

The pass on Wednesday was designed to allow Cassini's instruments to sample the plume particles directly.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7289670.stm
Title: Saturn's moon Tethys 'once had ocean'
Post by: Rick on Mar 18, 2008, 13:39:57
Saturn's moon Tethys 'once had ocean'

One of Saturn's moons may once have harboured a liquid ocean beneath its icy surface, scientists have told a major conference in Houston, Texas.

Tethys is a mid-sized satellite with a density close to that of pure ice.

But a large valley system visible today must have formed when the crust was being heated and under great strain.

The team thinks that tidal heating, followed by cooling which froze Tethys' ocean, could have formed the giant Ithaca Chasma rift.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7297408.stm
Title: Cassini survives 'in your face' Enceladus flypast
Post by: Rick on Mar 18, 2008, 13:51:51
NASA's Cassini spacecraft has survived an "in your face" flyby of Saturnian moon Enceladus designed to collect data on geysers spewing water vapour and other matter from giant fractures at the body's south pole.

Cassini on Wednesday skirted the geysers' plumes at a tad over 51,000km/h (32,000mph) at a height of 200km (120 miles), passing just 50km (30 miles) above Enceladus's surface at closest approach.

During the "sniff and taste" of the plume, the craft deployed its Cosmic Dust Analyzer and Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer, although all did not go exactly according to plan.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/14/cassini_enceladus/
Title: Seeds of Life Found Near Saturn
Post by: mickw on Mar 27, 2008, 09:20:09
A sniff test of water vapor spewing from Saturn's moon Enceladus shows it is gushing with organic molecules, increasing the possibility of life existing somewhere in the Saturn system.
Scientists have been intrigued by the moon since the fountain of water was first spotted in 2005. Now they've identified a soup of prebiotic material there, similar to what's found in comets, from an analysis of data collected by the Cassini spacecraft.

More:  http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/080326-cassini-flyby-update.html
Title: Cassini sniffs Enceladus's 'surprising organic brew'
Post by: Rick on Mar 28, 2008, 16:49:22
NASA's Cassini spacecraft has sampled a "surprising organic brew" erupting from Saturnian moon Enceladus's south polar region comprising "volatile gases, water vapour, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, as well as organic materials".

Cassini performed an "in your face" flypast of the Moon on 12 March, skimming at over 51,000km/h (32,000mph) to within 50km (30 miles) of the surface. During the encounter, it skirted the "geysers" spewing what scientists suspected was water vapour and other material at an altitude of 200km (120 miles) for a quick "sniff and taste" of their composition.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/27/enceladus_geysers/
Title: Frigid Future for Ocean in Saturn's Moon
Post by: mickw on Jun 19, 2008, 13:28:45
The tide may be changing for the ocean suspected under the icy shell of Enceladus. Recent research has shown that this small moon of Saturn does not produce enough heat in its present configuration to keep water from freezing down to its core.

"There is no possible combination of parameters that allow for a thermally stable ocean," said James Roberts of the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Roberts and his colleague Francis Nimmo, also from UCSC, calculated the tidal heating expected inside Enceladus from the uneven tugging of nearby Saturn.

More:   http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/080619-am-enceladus-ocean.html
Title: Probe gets close up to Enceladus
Post by: Ian on Aug 13, 2008, 19:06:14
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7559517.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7559517.stm)

The Cassini spacecraft has returned some remarkable new close-up images of the Saturnian moon Enceladus...
Title: 'Misty caverns' on Enceladus moon
Post by: Rick on Jun 24, 2009, 22:11:20
Nasa's Cassini spacecraft has obtained strong evidence that Saturn's tiny moon Enceladus retains liquid water.

The probe has detected sodium salts in the vicinity of the satellite, which appear to spew from its south pole.

Liquid water that is in prolonged contact with rock will leach out sodium - in exactly the same way as Earth's oceans have become salty over time.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8115148.stm
Title: Salty Saturn moon plumes suggest stuff of life
Post by: Rick on Jun 26, 2009, 10:19:34
Massive geysers on Saturn's moon Enceladus may be fed by a salty ocean beneath the surface, adding weight to speculation it harbors the essential building blocks needed for life.

Scientists working on NASA's Cassini mission have detected sodium salts in ice grains of Saturn's outermost ring. The planet's outer ring, or "E-ring," is believed to be primarily supplied by giant geysers on Enceladus's south polar region tossing out materials to a distance of three times the moon's radius. Cassini's cosmic dust analyzer has examined the composition of the material and found salt within it.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/06/25/cassini_enceladus_salt_detected/
Title: Water Geysers on Saturn Moon Take Center Stage
Post by: mickw on Nov 04, 2009, 17:54:56
Striking new photos of water-vapor geysers erupting from Saturn's moon Enceladus were beamed to Earth this week by NASA's Cassini spacecraft in orbit around the ringed planet.

Cassini made its deepest dive yet into the plumes pouring out from the moon's south pole on Nov. 2 during a planned flyby of Enceladus. The spacecraft approached within about 62 miles (100 km) of the moon's surface.

The powerful plumes, which contain water vapor, sodium and organic chemicals such as carbon dioxide, look a bit like the Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park. They have intrigued scientists because they suggest that a store of liquid water may be present beneath the moon's crust to give rise to the water vapor in the plumes. And if there is liquid water, there might be the possibility of some kind of alien life.

More:   http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/091104-enceladus-plumes.html (http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/091104-enceladus-plumes.html)
Title: Re: Cassini to make third Enceladus flyby
Post by: Ian on Nov 04, 2009, 23:08:03
nice to see the astronomy press have the usual standard of journalistic skill.

Carbon dioxide is not an organic chemical...  :roll:
Title: Nasa Cassini spacecraft sends pictures of Saturn's moon
Post by: Rick on Nov 24, 2009, 11:39:35
Nasa has released the latest raw images of Saturn's moon Enceladus, from the Cassini spacecraft's extended mission to the planet and its satellites.

The images show the moon's rippling terrain in remarkable clarity.

Cassini started transmitting uncalibrated temperature data and images during a flyby on 21 November.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8374194.stm

APOD: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap091124.html

CICLOPS: http://ciclops.org/view_event/120/Enceladus_Rev_121_Flyby_Raw_Preview
Title: Carolyn Porco flies us to Saturn
Post by: Mike on Dec 23, 2009, 11:24:54
Planetary scientist Carolyn Porco, leader of the Imaging Team on the Cassini mission to Saturn, shows images from the Cassini voyage to Saturn, focusing on its largest moon, Titan, and on frozen Enceladus, which seems to shoot jets of ice.



http://www.ted.com/talks/carolyn_porco_flies_us_to_saturn.html
Title: Re: Carolyn Porco flies us to Saturn
Post by: Tony G on Dec 23, 2009, 15:48:54
Great talk.

But I must say that last image looks awfully like Fay's one that she submitted to UKAI the other day.  :lol:

Tony G
Title: Cassini detection adds to Enceladus liquid water story
Post by: Rick on Feb 09, 2010, 09:50:52
There seems little doubt that Saturn's moon Enceladus hides a large body of liquid water beneath its icy skin.

The Cassini probe, which periodically sweeps past the little moon, has returned yet more data to back up the idea of a sub-surface sea.

This time, it is the detection of negatively charged water molecules in the atmosphere of Enceladus.

On Earth, such ions are often seen where liquid water is in motion, such as waterfalls or crashing ocean waves.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8495663.stm
Title: Saturn Moon Riddled with Gushing Geysers, New Images Reveal
Post by: mickw on Feb 24, 2010, 00:43:26
Like sprinklers hidden beneath the surface, a series of geysers — more than previously thought — are gushing water ice from fissures near the south pole of Saturn's icy moon Enceladus, new images reveal.

The newly released images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft show the geysers of Enceladus in stunning detail. The photos caught a bounty of previously unknown plumes alongside known ones, and show at least one gusher that's lost power since NASA's last look at the moon.

The new images were taken during Cassini's flyby on Nov. 21, 2009, and include the best 3-D look ever obtained of a "tiger stripe" — a fissure that sprays icy particles, water vapor and organic compounds. They also show regions of Enceladus that were not well-mapped in previous flybys, including a southern area with crudely circular tectonic patterns.

More:   Geysers (http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/saturn-moon-geysers-100223.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+spaceheadlines+(SPACE.com+Headline+Feed))
Title: New Images of Saturn's Moon Dione Released
Post by: mickw on Sep 06, 2010, 23:54:59
New images of Saturn's moon Dione were taken and released today.

The pockmarked moon is seen by NASA's Cassini spacecraft as a partial globe hanging in space, as well as in close-ups that reveal its many craters.

Dione is an icy ball. It has a radius of 348 miles (560 kilometers) and orbits Saturn every 2.73 days from 234,505 miles (377,400 kilometers) away.

More:   Dione (http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/dione-saturn-moon-images-100904.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+spaceheadlines+(SPACE.com+Headline+Feed))
Title: Cassini Spacecraft Photos Show Saturn's 'Blue Moon' in All Its Glory
Post by: mickw on Dec 25, 2010, 09:39:09
A NASA spacecraft has snapped some of the best-ever pictures of Saturn's moon Rhea, yielding clues about the satellite's recent tectonic rumblings.

NASA's Cassini probe captured the images — some of which shine bright in blue-and-green false color —on two recent flybys of Rhea, Saturn's second-largest moon. The photos show dramatic fractures cutting through craters on Rhea's surface, suggesting the satellite's interior churned and rumbled not too long ago, scientists said. [New Cassini photo of Rhea]

The pictures also reveal that Rhea bears a closer resemblance to another Saturn moon, Dione, than previously thought, researchers said.

"These recent, high-resolution Cassini images help us put Saturn's moon in the context of the moons' geological family tree," Cassini team member Paul Helfenstein of Cornell University said in a statement. "Since NASA's Voyager mission visited Saturn, scientists have thought of Rhea and Dione as close cousins, with some differences in size and density. The new images show us they're more like fraternal twins, where the resemblance is more than skin deep. This probably comes from their nearness to each other in orbit."

More   Rhea (http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/cassini-saturn-moon-rhea-photos-101224.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+spaceheadlines+(SPACE.com+Headline+Feed))
Title: Is it Snowing Microbes on Enceladus?
Post by: Whitters on Mar 28, 2012, 07:11:53
Is it Snowing Microbes on Enceladus?

In a series of tantalizingly close flybys to the moon, named "Enceladus," NASA's Cassini spacecraft has revealed watery jets erupting from what may be a vast underground sea. These jets, which spew through cracks in the moon's icy shell, could lead back to a habitable zone that is uniquely accessible in all the solar system.

"More than 90 jets of all sizes near Enceladus's south pole are spraying water vapor, icy particles, and organic compounds all over the place," says Carolyn Porco, an award-winning planetary scientist and leader of the Imaging Science team for NASA's Cassini spacecraft. "Cassini has flown several times now through this spray and has tasted it. And we have found that aside from water and organic material, there is salt in the icy particles. The salinity is the same as that of Earth's oceans."

Rich geysers aren't the only auspicious thing about Enceladus. Thermal measurements have revealed temperatures as high as -120 deg Fahrenheit (190 Kelvin) emanating from some of these fissures.

More: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/27mar_enceladus/
Title: Cassini spacecraft finds sign of subsurface sea on Saturn’s moon Enceladus
Post by: Rick on Apr 04, 2014, 03:27:45
Cassini spacecraft finds sign of subsurface sea on Saturn's moon Enceladus

For years, the motto among astrobiologists — people who look for life in distant worlds, and try to understand what life is, exactly — has been "follow the water." You have to start the search somewhere, and scientists have started with liquid water because it's the essential agent for all biochemistry on Earth.

Now they've followed the water to a small, icy moon orbiting Saturn. Scientists reported Thursday that Enceladus, a shiny world about 300 miles in diameter, has a subsurface "regional sea" with a rocky bottom.

More on the Washington Post website (http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/nasa-cassini-spacecraft-finds-sign-of-subsurface-sea-on-saturns-moon-enceladus/2014/04/03/f9a1e7fc-baa3-11e3-9a05-c739f29ccb08_story.html)

Also: http://www.nasa.gov/jpl/cassini/enceladus-pia18071/
Title: Cassini Spacecraft Reveals 101 Geysers and More on Icy Saturn Moon
Post by: Rick on Jul 29, 2014, 08:41:16
Cassini Spacecraft Reveals 101 Geysers and More on Icy Saturn Moon

Scientists using mission data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft have identified 101 distinct geysers erupting on Saturn's icy moon Enceladus. Their analysis suggests it is possible for liquid water to reach from the moon's underground sea all the way to its surface.

These findings, and clues to what powers the geyser eruptions, are presented in two articles published in the current online edition of the Astronomical Journal.

Over a period of almost seven years, Cassini's cameras surveyed the south polar terrain of the small moon, a unique geological basin renowned for its four prominent "tiger stripe" fractures and the geysers of tiny icy particles and water vapor first sighted there nearly 10 years ago. The result of the survey is a map of 101 geysers, each erupting from one of the tiger stripe fractures, and the discovery that individual geysers are coincident with small hot spots. These relationships pointed the way to the geysers' origin.

More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-246
Title: Saturn's Moons: What a Difference a Decade Makes
Post by: Rick on Dec 11, 2014, 10:07:04
Saturn's Moons: What a Difference a Decade Makes

Almost immediately after NASA's twin Voyager spacecraft made their brief visits to Saturn in the early 1980s, scientists were hungry for more. The Voyagers had offered them only a brief glimpse of a family of new worlds -- Saturn's icy moons -- and the researchers were eager to spend more time among those bodies.

The successor to the Voyagers at Saturn, NASA's Cassini spacecraft, has spent the past 10 years collecting images and other data as it has toured the Ringed Planet and its family of satellites. New color maps, produced from this trove of data, show that Cassini has essentially fulfilled one of its many mission objectives: producing global maps of Saturn's six major icy moons.

These are the large Saturnian moons, excluding haze-covered Titan, known before the start of the Space Age: Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione, Rhea and Iapetus. Aside from a gap in the north polar region of Enceladus (to be filled in next year), and some areas of Iapetus, this objective is now more or less complete.

Go and take a look! (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4403)
Title: Saturn Moon's Activity Could Be 'Curtain Eruptions'
Post by: Rick on May 08, 2015, 08:50:33
Saturn Moon's Activity Could Be 'Curtain Eruptions'

New research using data from NASA's Cassini mission suggests most of the eruptions from Saturn's moon Enceladus might be diffuse curtains rather than discrete jets. Many features that appear to be individual jets of material erupting along the length of prominent fractures in the moon's south polar region might be phantoms created by an optical illusion, according to the new study.

The research is being published on Thursday, May 7, in the journal Nature.

"We think most of the observed activity represents curtain eruptions from the 'tiger stripe' fractures, rather than intermittent geysers along them," said Joseph Spitale, lead author of the study and a participating scientist on the Cassini mission at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona. "Some prominent jets likely are what they appear to be, but most of the activity seen in the images can be explained without discrete jets."

More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4575
Title: Re: Saturn's Moons as seen by Cassini
Post by: Carole on May 09, 2015, 09:44:17
They look like possible aurora.

Carole
Title: Cassini Sends Back Views After Zooming Past Dione
Post by: Rick on Jun 20, 2015, 08:30:09
Cassini Sends Back Views After Zooming Past Dione

The rugged landscape of Saturn's fracture-faced moon Dione is revealed in images sent back by NASA's Cassini spacecraft from its latest flyby. Cassini buzzed past Dione on June 16, coming within 321 miles (516 kilometers) of the moon's surface.

More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4630
Title: Unusual Red Arcs Spotted on Icy Saturn Moon
Post by: Rick on Jul 30, 2015, 08:22:59
Unusual Red Arcs Spotted on Icy Saturn Moon

ike graffiti sprayed by an unknown artist, unexplained arc-shaped, reddish streaks are visible on the surface of Saturn's icy moon Tethys in new, enhanced-color images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

The red arcs are narrow, curved lines on the moon's surface, and are among the most unusual color features on Saturn's moons to be revealed by Cassini's cameras.

Images taken using clear, green, infrared and ultraviolet spectral filters were combined to create the enhanced-color views, which highlight subtle color differences across the icy moon's surface at wavelengths not visible to human eyes.

More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4671
Title: Cassini to Make Last Close Flyby of Saturn Moon Dione
Post by: Rick on Aug 14, 2015, 08:58:37
Cassini to Make Last Close Flyby of Saturn Moon Dione

NASA's Cassini spacecraft will zip past Saturn's moon Dione on Monday, Aug. 17 -- the final close flyby of this icy satellite during the spacecraft's long mission.

Cassini's closest approach, within 295 miles (474 kilometers) of Dione's surface, will occur at 11:33 a.m. PDT (2:33 p.m. EDT). Mission controllers expect fresh images to begin arriving on Earth within a couple of days following the encounter.

Cassini scientists have a bevy of investigations planned for Dione. Gravity-science data from the flyby will improve scientists' knowledge of the moon's internal structure and allow comparisons to Saturn's other moons. Cassini has performed this sort of gravity science investigation with only a handful of Saturn's 62 known moons.

More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4689
Title: Cassini Finds Global Ocean in Saturn's Moon Enceladus
Post by: Rick on Sep 16, 2015, 08:12:50
Cassini Finds Global Ocean in Saturn's Moon Enceladus

A global ocean lies beneath the icy crust of Saturn's geologically active moon Enceladus, according to new research using data from NASA's Cassini mission.

Researchers found the magnitude of the moon's very slight wobble, as it orbits Saturn, can only be accounted for if its outer ice shell is not frozen solid to its interior, meaning a global ocean must be present.

The finding implies the fine spray of water vapor, icy particles and simple organic molecules Cassini has observed coming from fractures near the moon's south pole is being fed by this vast liquid water reservoir. The research is presented in a paper published online this week in the journal Icarus.

Previous analysis of Cassini data suggested the presence of a lens-shaped body of water, or sea, underlying the moon's south polar region. However, gravity data collected during the spacecraft's several close passes over the south polar region lent support to the possibility the sea might be global. The new results -- derived using an independent line of evidence based on Cassini's images -- confirm this to be the case.

More: http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/cassini-finds-global-ocean-in-saturns-moon-enceladus
Title: Closest Northern Views of Saturn's Moon Enceladus
Post by: Rick on Oct 17, 2015, 08:43:32
Closest Northern Views of Saturn's Moon Enceladus

NASA's Cassini spacecraft has begun returning its best-ever views of the northern extremes of Saturn's icy, ocean-bearing moon Enceladus. The spacecraft obtained the images during its Oct. 14 flyby, passing 1,142 miles (1,839 kilometers) above the moon's surface. Mission controllers say the spacecraft will continue transmitting images and other data from the encounter for the next several days.

Scientists expected the north polar region of Enceladus to be heavily cratered, based on low-resolution images from the Voyager mission, but the new high-resolution Cassini images show a landscape of stark contrasts. "The northern regions are crisscrossed by a spidery network of gossamer-thin cracks that slice through the craters," said Paul Helfenstein, a member of the Cassini imaging team at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. "These thin cracks are ubiquitous on Enceladus, and now we see that they extend across the northern terrains as well."

More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4738
Title: Deepest-Ever Dive Through Enceladus Plume Completed
Post by: Rick on Oct 30, 2015, 21:16:40
Deepest-Ever Dive Through Enceladus Plume Completed

NASA's Cassini spacecraft successfully completed its close flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus today, passing 30 miles (49 kilometers) above the moon's south polar region at approximately 8:22 a.m. PDT (11:22 a.m. EDT). Mission controllers established two-way communication with the spacecraft this afternoon and expect it to begin transmitting data from the encounter this evening. Images are anticipated in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Molre: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4755
Title: Saturn's Geyser Moon Shines in Close Flyby Views
Post by: Rick on Nov 02, 2015, 09:56:14
Saturn's Geyser Moon Shines in Close Flyby Views

NASA's Cassini spacecraft has begun transmitting its latest images of Saturn's icy, geologically active moon Enceladus, acquired during the dramatic Oct. 28 flyby in which the probe passed about 30 miles (49 kilometers) above the moon's south polar region. The spacecraft will continue transmitting its data from the encounter for the next several days.

"Cassini's stunning images are providing us a quick look at Enceladus from this ultra-close flyby, but some of the most exciting science is yet to come," said Linda Spilker, the mission's project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4759
Title: Enceladus Jets: Surprises in Starlight
Post by: Rick on May 14, 2016, 11:32:11
Enceladus Jets: Surprises in Starlight

During a recent stargazing session, NASA's Cassini spacecraft watched a bright star pass behind the plume of gas and dust that spews from Saturn's icy moon Enceladus. At first, the data from that observation had scientists scratching their heads. What they saw didn't fit their predictions.

The observation has led to a surprising new clue about the remarkable geologic activity on Enceladus: It appears that at least some of the narrow jets that erupt from the moon's surface blast with increased fury when the moon is farther from Saturn in its orbit.

Exactly how or why that's happening is far from clear, but the observation gives theorists new possibilities to ponder about the twists and turns in the "plumbing" under the moon's frozen surface. Scientists are eager for such clues because, beneath its frozen shell of ice, Enceladus is an ocean world that might have the ingredients for life.

More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6507
Title: Cassini Reveals Strange Shape of Saturn's Moon Pan
Post by: Rick on Mar 24, 2017, 09:31:27
Cassini Reveals Strange Shape of Saturn's Moon Pan

These images are the closest images ever taken of Pan and will help to characterize its shape and geology.

More: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6770

Also, see APOD: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170313.html
Title: Cassini Sees Heat Below the Icy Surface of Enceladus
Post by: Rick on Mar 24, 2017, 09:36:40
Cassini Sees Heat Below the Icy Surface of Enceladus

A new study in the journal Nature Astronomy reports that the south polar region of Saturn's icy moon Enceladus is warmer than expected just a few feet below its icy surface. This suggests that Enceladus' ocean of liquid water might be only a couple of miles beneath this region -- closer to the surface than previously thought.

The excess heat is especially pronounced over three fractures that are not unlike the "tiger stripes" -- prominent, actively venting fractures that slice across the pole -- except that they don't appear to be active at the moment. Seemingly dormant fractures lying above the moon's warm, underground sea point to the dynamic character of Enceladus' geology, suggesting the moon might have experienced several episodes of activity, in different places on its surface.

More: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6775
Title: NASA Missions Provide New Insights into 'Ocean Worlds' in Our Solar System
Post by: Rick on Apr 15, 2017, 08:59:26
NASA Missions Provide New Insights into 'Ocean Worlds' in Our Solar System

Two veteran NASA missions are providing new details about icy, ocean-bearing moons of Jupiter and Saturn, further heightening the scientific interest of these and other "ocean worlds" in our solar system and beyond. The findings are presented in papers published Thursday by researchers with NASA's Cassini mission to Saturn and Hubble Space Telescope.

In the papers, Cassini scientists announce that a form of chemical energy that life can feed on appears to exist on Saturn's moon Enceladus, and Hubble researchers report additional evidence of plumes erupting from Jupiter's moon Europa.

"This is the closest we've come, so far, to identifying a place with some of the ingredients needed for a habitable environment," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at Headquarters in Washington. "These results demonstrate the interconnected nature of NASA's science missions that are getting us closer to answering whether we are indeed alone or not."

More: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6812
Title: Cassini Sees 'Flying-Saucer' Moon Atlas Up Close
Post by: Rick on Apr 15, 2017, 09:03:24
Cassini Sees 'Flying-Saucer' Moon Atlas Up Close

These images are the closest ever taken of Atlas and will help to characterize its shape and geology. Atlas (19 miles, or 30 kilometers across) orbits Saturn just outside the A ring -- the outermost of the planet's bright, main rings.

Go and have a look: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6813