Lakes in the limelight, the 2013 image bonanza continues |
Lakes in the limelight, the 2013 image bonanza continues |
Sep 13 2013, 02:20 PM
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#1
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3516 Joined: 4-November 05 From: North Wales Member No.: 542 |
A fantastic collection of new images of the northern lakes has just arrived: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/raw/rawi...?imageID=298704
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Nov 12 2014, 07:36 PM
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#2
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Member Group: Members Posts: 402 Joined: 5-January 07 From: Manchester England Member No.: 1563 |
I have a thought that has been itching me all day, and I'd like to clear it out: Could these magic islands be tension wrinkles in a membrane that sits on top of the lake surface? If the lakes develop a fairly thick layer of something semi-solid, it might buckle and then relax as changing environmental conditions alter the overall tension. The specular reflections observed could be due to a thin liquid layer on the surface. It just struck me when my tea went cold that the patches of wrinkles on the skin looked a bit like the 'island'...
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Nov 12 2014, 08:41 PM
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#3
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Member Group: Members Posts: 100 Joined: 30-November 05 From: Antibes, France Member No.: 594 |
It has been said that some lakes or seas were almost as smooth as a mirror. As you say, why not a thin membrane over le liquid.
A new radar-bright feature about 50 km wide. Difficult to understand! I see several hypotheses: --> a detached chunk rising from the sea floor. --> rising bubbles from hot springs --> a new island via cryovolcanism --> snow fall or fall of hydrocarbons or organics (some clouds have been seen over Ligeia Mare) --> or perhaps, some submarine topography (close to the surface) can be discerned if the incidence angle from the radar mapper is low ( as deduced from the data of the Cassini Huygens website). ... But the bright structures seem to evolve rapidly. Only plankton formations can change so quickly ! |
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