Cassini Finds Saturn Moons Are Active |
Cassini Finds Saturn Moons Are Active |
Jun 14 2007, 06:58 PM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1887 Joined: 20-November 04 From: Iowa Member No.: 110 |
Saturn's moons Tethys and Dione are flinging great streams of particles into space, according to data from the Cassini mission to Saturn. The discovery suggests the possibility of some sort of geological activity, perhaps even volcanic, on these icy worlds.
The particles were traced to the two moons because of the dramatic outward movement of electrically charged gas, which could be mapped back to the moons' orbits in the magnetic environment of Saturn. "This new result seems to be a strong indication that there is activity on Tethys and Dione as well," http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press-rele....cfm?newsID=754 |
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Jun 14 2007, 07:08 PM
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 61 Joined: 17-September 05 From: Sweden Member No.: 499 |
At this rate Rhea is going to become not only the most uninteresting object in the solar system, but also one of the least active moons of Saturn .
Really, this is interesting news. I guess the outgassing is tiny compared to Enceladus, but it's fascinating nonetheless. |
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Jun 14 2007, 07:18 PM
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 2785 Joined: 10-November 06 From: Pasadena, CA Member No.: 1345 |
Both Dione and Tethys seem to have almost the same tiger-stripey look as Enceladaus. Maybe having some sort of outgassing and residual geological activity is the norm for an airless ice moon in the Saturnian system?
I wonder if Rhea is the exception rather than the rule? (Hmmm. Now I'm really looking forward to the Iapetus flyby. Wonder what it will reveal?) -Mike -------------------- Some higher resolution images available at my photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/
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Jun 14 2007, 07:18 PM
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 3233 Joined: 11-February 04 From: Tucson, AZ Member No.: 23 |
ROFLMAO, Tethys?!? Umm, yeah, I'm sorry, that moon will be active when pigs fly. Dione, I can believe. Tethys, I'm sorry, no, my brain won't allow that.
Basically, the MAG team found steams of charged particles that appear to originate from the orbits of Tethys and Dione. Now, the question is how those particles came to form plasma tori at these two moons' orbits. One possibility is geological activity leading to H2O outgassing. That is possible, IMHO, on Dione. Not Tethys. Almost certainly, the particle source for Tethys is sputtering or micrometeorite impacts. -------------------- &@^^!% Jim! I'm a geologist, not a physicist!
The Gish Bar Times - A Blog all about Jupiter's Moon Io |
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Jun 14 2007, 07:27 PM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2920 Joined: 14-February 06 From: Very close to the Pyrénées Mountains (France) Member No.: 682 |
Why only Saturn's sattelites? We need a good orbiter around Jupiter (Uranus, Neptune). Will Juno be able to collect such data?
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Jun 14 2007, 09:07 PM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 153 Joined: 14-August 06 Member No.: 1041 |
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Jun 14 2007, 09:21 PM
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 3233 Joined: 11-February 04 From: Tucson, AZ Member No.: 23 |
Interesting... I agree. I feel that adam may eat those words. Some of those cliff walls look just like ones on Dione. Certainly qualifies it for being potential more active than Tethys. -------------------- &@^^!% Jim! I'm a geologist, not a physicist!
The Gish Bar Times - A Blog all about Jupiter's Moon Io |
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Jun 15 2007, 09:15 AM
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#8
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 61 Joined: 17-September 05 From: Sweden Member No.: 499 |
Hehe, I was just joking about that it seems like everyone puts Rhea as their most "boring object in the solar system". I find it amusing that even Tethys is considered to be more active. But I guess, as you say, that this might change.
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Jun 15 2007, 10:48 AM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3648 Joined: 1-October 05 From: Croatia Member No.: 523 |
Well, Tethys' leading hemisphere is the second brightest in the system, after Enceladus. This may be due to E ring particle deposition on it or... internal activity? It's also got a distinct region where the cratering is much lower so it implies a resurfacing at one point in time.
Rhea is in general a lower albedo object, very heavily cratered and doesn't hold much prospects for any activity. Then again, it's got wispy terrain too, just like Dione... -------------------- |
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