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Monday, November 23, 2009

Photo: "Geyser" Moon Sprinkles Salt on Saturn's Rings


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Many scientists think the icy plumes on the volatile moon Enceladus, seen above in a 2005 image from the Cassini spacecraft, created and continue to feed Saturn's outermost ring.

New data from Cassini, released in June 2009, show sodium salts in the ring, indicating that the material could be coming from nearby Enceladus and fueling debate over whether the moon has a subsurface ocean.

Image courtesy Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA