Welcome to our new post! In this article, I'll present some interesting facts about the moon Enceladus. Get ready to learn impressive things about this splendid satellite of Saturn and amaze your friends with these interesting pieces of information.
This moon has geysers on its surface that eject hot water rich in minerals into space. One curiosity about these sprays is that in space, these water droplets freeze and form Saturn's E-ring. This portion is very small, and some of this ice returns to the moon's surface, making it an icy moon.
In addition to water, it also emits a series of gasses, such as methane, carbon dioxide, ammonia, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen in smaller amounts. An interesting fact is that the density of organic materials was 20 times denser than expected.
And where does so much water vapor come from? NASA scientists believe that this water originates from a global ocean beneath the ice layer covering the planet's surface. It is thought that this layer ranges from 1 to 5 km thick at the south pole and is thicker elsewhere on the moon, varying from 20 to 25 km thick.
This water vapor is expelled through deep cracks informally called "tiger stripes," specifically in the grooves that are warmer areas. These fissures are in constant contraction and expansion.
By studying the composition of Saturn's E-ring, scientists have concluded that it is composed of ice droplets and silica nanoparticles. These nanoparticles can only form at temperatures above 90°C, similar to the hydrothermal vents we have on Earth.
Enceladus is the sixth largest moon of Saturn and orbits the planet at a distance of approximately 238,000 km between the moons Tethys and Mimas. The side of the moon facing Saturn is always the same, just like our moon.
Enceladus takes about 32.9 hours to complete one day. This moon exhibits a phenomenon called orbital resonance, in which two or more moons align with the planet they orbit and interact gravitationally.
Dione, being a larger moon, narrows Enceladus's orbit, forming an ellipse. The difference in distance between Enceladus and Saturn enables tidal heating within the moon.
It has the whitest and most reflective surface in our solar system. Some areas of this moon have craters with a diameter of 35 km, while others have several smaller craters. The south pole of Enceladus practically has no craters.
The southern polar region of this moon has several enormous ice boulders and exhibits tectonic patterns. Large clouds of water vapor were also found in this region. Scientists speculate that the heating of Enceladus is similar to that of Jupiter's moon Io. Tidal heating is produced by tidal friction exerted by the magnetic field of the planet that the moon orbits. Tidal heating takes into account several parameters such as mean radius, mean orbital motion, orbital distance, eccentricity, body mass and the efficiency to dissipate tidal energy into frictional heat.
The name Enceladus refers to a giant from Greek mythology and was chosen because the equivalent of Saturn in Greek mythology is Chronos, known as the leader of the Titans. The name was suggested by John Herschel in 1847.
It is considered a small moon. This moon has a diameter of only 504 km; our planet has a diameter 25.3 times larger than that of Enceladus. And its mass is 680 times smaller than that of Earth.
It has a temperature of -201°C because its surface is highly reflective.
Did you know that ice and gas particles spout at a speed of 400 m/s? This data was discovered by the Cassini spacecraft in 2005. This spacecraft also played an important role in solidifying the theory of Enceladus's global ocean. The spacecraft's magnetometer pointed to an alteration in this moon's electromagnetic field pushing against Saturn's electromagnetic field.
Thanks to its global ocean, heat production, and chemical compounds necessary for life such as phosphorus, the moon Enceladus is very promising for the search for life in our solar system.
📚 Data source:
https://science.nasa.gov/saturn/moons/enceladus/
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/cassini/science/enceladus/
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calentamiento_de_marea
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encélado
https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/ciencia/2023/06/14/648865e8fc6c839d128b45a9.html
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/cassini/enceladus-top-10-science-highlights/
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