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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Photo: Comet Impact Triggered Saturn Moon's Huge Jets?


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In October 2008, NASA's Cassini spacecraft soared within 15.6 miles (25 kilometers) of Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons. The fractures and folds scarring the crust, captured in this composite image, tell of heavy tectonic activity.

The "tiger stripe" features in the lower right are called sulci. The moon's famous icy jets mostly lie along such features and are likely the result of a comet impact millions of years ago, scientists said yesterday at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

Image by NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute