Lake Untersee located in Eastern Antarctica, is a perennially ice-covered lake. At the bottom of its southern basin lies 20 m of anoxic, methane rich, stratified water, making it a […]
Enceladus
Posted inEnceladus
On Enceladus Expansion Cracks Lets An Inner Ocean Boil Out
In 2006, the Cassini spacecraft recorded geyser curtains shooting forth from “tiger stripe” fissures near the south pole of Saturn’s moon Enceladus — sometimes as much as 200 kilograms of […]
Posted inEnceladus
The Role Of Ocean Circulation In Driving Hemispheric Symmetry Breaking Of The Ice Shell Of Enceladus
The ice shell of Enceladus exhibits strong asymmetry between its hemispheres, with all known geysers concentrated over the south pole, even though its orbital configuration is almost perfectly symmetric. By […]
Posted inEnceladus, Icy Worlds, Press Release
An Investigation of Libration Heating and the Thermal State of Enceladus's Ice Shell
Tidal dissipation is thought to be responsible for the observed high heat loss on Enceladus. Forced librations can enhance tidal dissipation in the ice shell, but how such librations affect […]
Posted inEnceladus
Icequakes Likely Rumble Along Geyser-spitting Fractures In Saturn's Icy Moon Enceladus
Tidal stresses may be causing constant icequakes on Saturn’s sixth largest moon Enceladus, a world of interest in the search for life beyond Earth, according to a new study. A […]
Posted inEnceladus
Methane in the Plumes of Saturn's Moon Enceladus: Possible Signs of Life?
An unknown methane-producing process is likely at work in the hidden ocean beneath the icy shell of Saturn’s moon Enceladus, suggests a new study published in Nature Astronomy by scientists […]
Posted inEnceladus
Evidence That A Novel Type Of Satellite Wake Might Exist In Saturn's E Ring
Saturn’s E ring consists of micron-sized particles launched from Enceladus by that moon’s geological activity. A variety of small-scale structures in the E-ring’s brightness have been attributed to tendrils of […]
Posted inIcy Worlds
Probing The Icy Shell Structure Of Ocean Worlds With Gravity-topography Admittance
The structure of the icy shells of ocean worlds is important for understanding the stability of their underlying oceans as it controls the rate at which heat can be transported […]
Posted inEnceladus
What Ocean Salinity Is Consistent With The Large Thickness Variation Of The Enceladus Shell?
Of profound astrobiological interest is that not only does Enceladus have a water ocean, but it also appears to be salty, important for its likely habitability. Here, we investigate how […]
Posted inIcy Worlds
Probing for Life in the Icy Crusts of Ocean Worlds
A technique for scanning Mars rocks for microscopic fossils of ancient life is also being developed to hunt for microbes in the deep ice of Enceladus, Titan, and Europa. Long […]