Enceladus Plume Search, Nov. 27 Options

[jmknapp]

Interesting item in the science plan kernel (S16) just released to the NAIF website:

OBSERVATION_ID: S1629

SEQUENCE: S16

OBSERVATION_TITLE: Plume Search

SCIENCE_OBJECTIVE: Hope to detect/observe plumes, whether from volcanic activity or geysers.

OBS_DESCRIPTION: Point and stare.

SUBSYSTEM: ISS

PRIMARY_POINTING: ISS_NAC to Enceladus (0.0,5.0,0.0 deg. offset)

REQUEST_ID: ISS_018EN_PLUMES001_PRIME

REQUEST_TITLE: ENCELADUS Geyser/Plume Search

REQ_DESCRIPTION: 1;ENCELADUS Geyser/Plume Search 1x1xNPp -- 3 different exposures

BEGIN_TIME: 2005 NOV 27 19:00:00 UTC

END_TIME: 2005 NOV 27 20:00:00 UTC

[alan]

Possible plume? Doesn't look like a lens flare.

[ugordan]

Possible plume? Doesn't look like a lens flare.

Amazing images!!!
IMHO, these prove, without a doubt that there's some very significant venting occuring on Enceladus. I could go on calling them genuine eruptions (Io, anyone? ) as well, the choice of rotating the spacecraft to discriminate from the possible scattered light problems was also very ingenious.

Most definitely one of the most significant Cassini results as of yet. Detecting outgassing is one thing, seeing it is completely different!



EDIT: Looks like Rhea won't be prime news even in this rev, actually devoted to its close flyby

[Bjorn Jonsson]

This is the first time I see something like this that is not obviously an imaging artifact.

What's interesting is that the spacecraft has been rotated to make recognizing artifacts to due scattered light within the camera easier. I find it extremely interesting that the possible plumes appear roughly identical in all of the images despite the varying rotation. Also in the overexposed images a very large 'cloud' appears that does not appear next to the nightside limb (only against the bright limb) so this cannot be a diffuse ring in the background.

Still not totally convinced these are plumes but this looks very promising.

[tedstryk]

I am at work, or I would do this myself, but someone ought to try matching them up to a map - if the bright area match tiger stripes, I will be fully convinced, and Enceladus will join the Io-Triton club of moons in my book.

[Bjorn Jonsson]

I am at work, or I would do this myself, but someone ought to try matching them up to a map - if the bright area match tiger stripes, I will be fully convinced, and Enceladus will join the Io-Triton club of moons in my book.

I'm at work too but the first thing I'll do at home is use the SPICE kernels to make a computer rendering with a lat/lon grid. Unfortunately my planetary renderer (written by me) is in a state of chaos at the moment because I'm adding some new features to it but hopefully I can make it work fairly easily for this special occasion. Murphy's law at work...