Saturn: the "Ringed Beauty" and His Moons
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Enceladus-9_cassini_big.jpgEnceladus (natural colors; credits: Lunexit)71 visiteCaption NASA:"What telling impurities taint the ice plumes of Enceladus? To help answer this question, the robotic Cassini spacecraft dove last week to within 30 kilometers of Saturn's ice-plume emitting moon. At this closest-ever approach, Cassini attempted to sniff and obtain chemical data on particles ejected from Enceladus' regular surface, while at other times Cassini flew right through -- and sampled -- ice geysers directly. Searches in the data for impurity clues in the water-ice dominated plumes and surface ejecta are progressing. Although the main purpose of this flyby was particle analysis, several interesting images are emerging. Visible in the above image, for example, is an unusual gray sheen running vertically up the image center that might be water vapor escaping from surface canyons. Other notable features visible above include vast plains of craterless icy grooves, the day-night terminator across the image left, and an area near the top comparatively rich in craters. Cassini is scheduled to buzz by Enceladus in an imaging run near the end of this month".MareKromium
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Enceladus-Cassini_big.jpgIs there "Life" underneath Enceladus?!?53 visiteCaption NASA:"Could life exist beneath Enceladus?
A recent flyby of Saturn's icy moon has bolstered this fascinating idea. Two years ago, images from the Cassini Spacecraft led astronomers to the undeniable conclusion that Saturn's moon Enceladus was spewing fountains of gas and ice crystals through cracks in its surface (the "Tiger Stripes").
Last month (February 2008), Cassini dove through some of these plumes and determined that they contained Water Vapor laced with small amounts of Methane as well as simple and complex organic molecules. Surprisingly, the plumes of Enceladus appear similar in make-up to many comets.
What's more, the temperature and density of the plumes indicate they might have originated from a warmer source - possibly a liquid source - beneath the surface.
A liquid water sea containing organic molecules is a good place to look for life.
Pictured above is a vertically exaggerated close-up of some long, venting Tiger Stripes. The computer composite was generated from images and shadows taken during the recent Cassini flyby.
Nine more flybys of Enceladus by Cassini are planned".MareKromium
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Enceladus-EB-LXTT.jpgFountains of Light (High-Def-3D; credits: Elisabetta Bonora - Lunexit Team)54 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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Enceladus-EB-LXTT1.jpgCosmic "Snowball"... (Natural Colors; credits: Elisabetta Bonora - Lunexit Team)54 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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Enceladus-EB-LXTT2.jpgCosmic "Snowball"... (Natural Colors; credits: Elisabetta Bonora - Lunexit Team)54 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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Enceladus-EB-LXTT6.jpgBeyond the Visible Light: Enceladus in IR and UV (an Image-Mosaic by Elisabetta Bonora - Lunexit Team)54 visiteUn altro spettacolare "Educational" della nostra Amica e Partner Elisabetta Bonora, in attesa che anche la NASA o l'ESA - se non altro "ufficialmente" ed attraverso i loro "Canali Pubblici" - facciano qualcosa di ugualmente valido ed istruttivo.
Un'attesa che, molto probabilmente, sarà vana...MareKromium
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Enceladus-EB-LXTT~0.jpgIce & Light Pillars (an Image-Mosaic by Elisabetta Bonora - Lunexit Team)132 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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Enceladus-EB.gifFountains of Light, Star-trails and the G-Ring (GIF-Movie; credits: Elisabetta Bonora)65 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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Enceladus-EB2-LXTT.gifSpewing Ice! (a GIF-Movie by Elisabetta Bonora - Lunexit Team)76 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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Enceladus-EB3-LXTT.jpgThe always "Fresh Face" of Enceladus (possible Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Elisabetta Bonora - Lunexit Team)110 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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Enceladus-EB5.jpgFountains of Light (High-Def-3D; credits: Elisabetta Bonora - Lunexit Team)54 visiteUn frame tridimensionale di fattura assai complessa, ma riuscitissimo e notevole - nonchè, ci sia consentito dirlo - estremamente suggestivo.
Ora indossate gli occhialini e verificate Voi stessi: le Fontane di Encelado splenderanno, in tre dimensioni, anche per Voi!
Grandi complimenti alla nostra eccezionale Amica e Partner, Elisabetta Bonora (alias "2di7").MareKromium
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Enceladus-EB_(2).gifAlways Enceladus, but NOT ONLY Enceladus... (GIF-Movie; credits: Elisabetta Bonora - Lunexit Team)82 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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