homehome Home chatchat Notifications


Saturn's moon full of geysers

There are many things we have yet to find out about Saturn, but the Cassini probe has definitely shed some light on the planet, and will surely do the same in the following years. The most recent flyby showed a significant number of geysers just waiting to pop out from under the surface – even […]

Mihai Andrei
February 24, 2010 @ 3:03 pm

share Share

saturn-moon-geysers1-100223-02

There are many things we have yet to find out about Saturn, but the Cassini probe has definitely shed some light on the planet, and will surely do the same in the following years.

The most recent flyby showed a significant number of geysers just waiting to pop out from under the surface – even more than previously believed. The pictures taken show them in great detail, and by taking photographs across a period of time, researchers can understand their activity and overall planetary influence.

“This last flyby confirms what we suspected,” said Carolyn Porco, Cassini’s imaging team lead at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. “The vigor of individual jets can vary with time, and many jets, large and small, erupt all along the tiger stripes.”

“The fractures are chilly by Earth standards, but they’re a cozy oasis compared to the numbing 50 Kelvin (minus 370 Fahrenheit) of their surroundings,” said John Spencer, a composite infrared spectrometer team member based at Southwest Research Institute also in Boulder. “The huge amount of heat pouring out of the tiger stripe fractures may be enough to melt the ice underground.”

With the Cassini mission prolonged until 2017, we’ll definitely be hearing from the frozen giant quite soon.

share Share

When Ice Gets Bent, It Sparks: A Surprising Source of Electricity in Nature’s Coldest Corners

Ice isn't as passive as it looks.

We can still easily get AI to say all sorts of dangerous things

Jailbreaking an AI is still an easy task.

A small, portable test could revolutionize how we diagnose Alzheimer's

A passive EEG scan could spot memory loss before symptoms begin to show.

Scientists Solved a Key Mystery Regarding the Evolution of Life on Earth

A new study brings scientists closer to uncovering how life began on Earth.

Astronomers May Have Discovered The First Rocky Earth-Like World With An Atmosphere, Just 41 Light Years Out

Astronomers may have discovered the first rocky planet with 'air' where life could exist.

Mars Seems to Have a Hot, Solid Core and That's Surprisingly Earth-Like

Using a unique approach to observing marsquakes, researchers propose a structure for Mars' core.

Humans made wild animals smaller and domestic animals bigger. But not all of them

Why are goats and sheep so different?

Could AI and venom help us fight antibiotic resistance?

Scientists used AI to mine animal venom for potent new antibiotics.

They're 80,000 Years Old and No One Knows Who Made Them. Are These the World's Oldest Arrowheads?

Stone tips found in Uzbekistan could rewrite the history of bows and arrows.

This Chihuahua Munched on a Bunch of Cocaine (and Fentanyl) and Lived to Tell the Tale

This almost-tragic event could have a very useful side.