On icy worlds, the ice shell and subsurface ocean form a coupled system — heat and salinity flux from the ice shell induced by the ice thickness gradient drives circulation […]
Enceladus
Posted inIcy Worlds
Energetics Govern Ocean Circulation On Icy Ocean Worlds
Globally ice-covered oceans have been found on multiple moons in the solar system and may also have been a feature of Earth’s past. However, relatively little is understood about the […]
Posted inEnceladus
Dynamics Of Geysers And Tracer Transport Over The South Pole Of Enceladus
Over the south pole of Enceladus, an icy moon of Saturn, geysers eject water into space in a striped pattern, making Enceladus one of the most attractive destinations in the […]
Posted inEnceladus, Icy Worlds, Mimas, Press Release, Titan
Particle Deposition On The Saturnian Satellites From Ephemeral Cryovolcanism On Enceladus
The geologically active south pole of Enceladus generates a plume of micron-sized particles, which likely form Saturn’s tenuous E-ring extending from the orbit of Mimas to Titan. Interactions between these […]
Posted inDale Andersen's Field Reports
Survival Strategies Of An Anoxic Microbial Ecosystem In Lake Untersee, A Potential Analog For Enceladus
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 […]
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 […]