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Mystery of Saturn's Two-Faced Moon Solved
TheChemist
post Oct 9 2007, 02:31 PM
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Carolyn Porco comments included in this space.com article :

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/0710...ni-iapetus.html
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Greg Hullender
post Oct 9 2007, 03:24 PM
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In that case, why only Iapetus? Why don't we see the same effect on other moons of Saturn and the other gas giants?
I'm sure there must be an answer, but I don't see it on that site.

--Greg
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ngunn
post Oct 9 2007, 03:57 PM
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QUOTE (Greg Hullender @ Oct 9 2007, 04:24 PM) *
In that case, why only Iapetus? Why don't we see the same effect on other moons of Saturn and the other gas giants?
I'm sure there must be an answer, but I don't see it on that site.

--Greg


I'd list 3 factors:
1/ Exceptionally long days
2/ Poorly differentiated, so plenty of dirt in the surface ices
3/ Strong enough gravity to retain some sublimed ice molecules

No other moon meets all three criteria.
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Posts in this topic
- TheChemist   Mystery of Saturn's Two-Faced Moon Solved   Oct 9 2007, 02:31 PM
- - alan   Some press releases from the Cassini site, the lin...   Oct 9 2007, 02:54 PM
- - Greg Hullender   In that case, why only Iapetus? Why don't we ...   Oct 9 2007, 03:24 PM
|- - ElkGroveDan   QUOTE (Greg Hullender @ Oct 9 2007, 07:24...   Oct 9 2007, 03:29 PM
|- - ngunn   QUOTE (Greg Hullender @ Oct 9 2007, 04:24...   Oct 9 2007, 03:57 PM
|- - JRehling   QUOTE (Greg Hullender @ Oct 9 2007, 08:24...   Oct 9 2007, 03:57 PM
|- - AscendingNode   QUOTE (Greg Hullender @ Oct 9 2007, 08:24...   Oct 9 2007, 04:09 PM
- - tasp   And, Hyperion and Iapetus are the only two major s...   Oct 10 2007, 05:06 AM
- - ngunn   I've no problem with the feedback process, or ...   Oct 10 2007, 08:36 AM
- - tasp   The 'seeding' material for the darkening p...   Oct 11 2007, 03:51 AM
- - David   Iapetus doesn't need a huge differentiation in...   Oct 11 2007, 07:42 AM
|- - ngunn   QUOTE (David @ Oct 11 2007, 08:42 AM) But...   Oct 11 2007, 08:03 AM
- - Greg Hullender   Thinking about this some more, this comment ...   Oct 11 2007, 04:51 PM
|- - ugordan   QUOTE (Greg Hullender @ Oct 11 2007, 06:5...   Oct 11 2007, 04:56 PM
|- - stevesliva   QUOTE (Greg Hullender @ Oct 11 2007, 12:5...   Oct 12 2007, 03:04 AM
- - alan   The dust is theorized to have originated from a ou...   Oct 11 2007, 05:03 PM
- - nprev   Considering Titan as a potential source, I almost ...   Oct 11 2007, 05:22 PM
- - Greg Hullender   Alan, ugordon: Thanks. I suppose I should have sa...   Oct 11 2007, 09:18 PM
- - alan   Its the leading hemisphere because the dust is mov...   Oct 12 2007, 02:51 AM
|- - ElkGroveDan   QUOTE (alan @ Oct 11 2007, 06:51 PM) Here...   Oct 15 2007, 02:25 AM
- - Greg Hullender   steve: Good catch. Thanks! Given, then, that...   Oct 12 2007, 05:00 PM
- - Bill Harris   QUOTE Could material spalled off from Phoebe accou...   Oct 13 2007, 02:46 AM
- - elakdawalla   If I recall correctly, Phoebe has long been consid...   Oct 13 2007, 03:54 AM
|- - ugordan   That's correct. Of all the significant moons o...   Oct 13 2007, 05:06 PM
- - ngunn   Why is everyone so sure about this global dusting ...   Oct 13 2007, 07:05 PM
|- - ugordan   The fact remains the leading and trailing hemisphe...   Oct 13 2007, 08:29 PM
- - tasp   Salient inferrence there, ugordan. Curious a spa...   Oct 13 2007, 08:59 PM
- - nprev   Fascinating ideas and discussion. Crap; I knew th...   Oct 15 2007, 02:52 AM
- - ngunn   Since disconnected dark patches have formed on the...   Oct 15 2007, 09:07 AM

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