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Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Enceladus: Ringside Water World
NASA ^ | December 03, 2015 | (see photo credit)

Posted on 12/03/2015 11:53:27 PM PST by SunkenCiv

Explanation: Saturn's icy moon Enceladus poses above the gas giant's icy rings in this Cassini spacecraft image. The dramatic scene was captured on July 29, while Cassini cruised just below the ring plane, its cameras looking back in a nearly sunward direction about 1 million kilometers from the moon's bright crescent. At 500 kilometers in diameter, Enceladus is a surprisingly active moon though, its remarkable south polar geysers are visible venting beyond a dark southern limb. In fact, data collected during Cassini's flybys and years of images have recently revealed the presence of a global ocean of liquid water beneath this moon's icy crust. Demonstrating the tantalizing liquid layer's global extent, the careful analysis indicates surface and core are not rigidly connected, with Enceladus rocking slightly back and forth in its orbit.

December 03, 2015

(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; astronomy; cassini; enceladus; saturn; science
[Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA]

1 posted on 12/03/2015 11:53:27 PM PST by SunkenCiv
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http://129.164.179.22/apod/image/1512/EnceladusRingsPIA18343.jpg

UM researcher, NASA team discover how water escapes from Saturn
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-12/tuom-urn120315.php


2 posted on 12/03/2015 11:54:56 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Wow.


3 posted on 12/04/2015 12:09:34 AM PST by FreeperCell
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To: FreeperCell

Definitely a nice one!


4 posted on 12/04/2015 5:02:36 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
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To: brytlea; cripplecreek; decimon; bigheadfred; KoRn; Grammy; steelyourfaith; Mmogamer; dayglored; ...
No Big One.

5 posted on 12/04/2015 5:04:03 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Just think, there could be bacteria there.


6 posted on 12/04/2015 9:28:14 PM PST by Impy (They pull a knife, you pull a gun. That's the CHICAGO WAY, and that's how you beat the rats!)
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