Cassini sent the first photos of Enceladus taken at close range

Photo surface of Saturn's moon, made from a distance of more than a thousand kilometers away i>

Back in 2005, it was discovered on Enceladus kriovulkany that erupt with enviable regularity. Nevertheless, scientists are aware of them is very small. It is known that volcanoes of this kind are a sign of the existence of ice on Enceladus ocean bed is quite possibly active in geological terms.

In our solar system a few planetoids, on which there is a ocean under the ice, but Enceladus - one of the most likely candidates for the existence of extraterrestrial life. The study of emissions kriovulkanov allow scientists to understand the approximate composition of ocean water. This, in turn, will allow to understand whether there is a probability of the existence of life under the icy crust of Enceladus. And 28 October interplanetary probe Cassini took place at a distance of 50 kilometers from the surface of Saturn's moon. Soon it expected to reach a large amount of information on the nature and composition of emissions kriovulkanov, but now you can see a few photos taken by Cassini on this day.

The uneven surface of the icy moon Enceladus (Photo: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute) i>

Photograph taken during the flight maneuvers i>

Cassini recorded a drop of the liquid component of the geysers emanating from the south pole of Enceladus i>

And that Enceladus photographed from a distance of 516 011 km on April 3 i>

The study of emissions kriovulkanov allow scientists to understand the approximate composition of ocean water. This, in turn, will allow to understand whether there is a probability of the existence of life under the icy crust of Enceladus. Soon scientists will publish much more information about Enceladus.

Previously, the agency NASA laid out new images of Saturn's moons, Mimas and Pandora. Despite the fact that both satellites revolve around the same planet, they are very different. Pandora, which is considered a small moon, because its diameter is only 81 km has an irregular elongated shape. Mimas, with a diameter of 396 kilometers, is considered to have a medium-sized satellite. Its shape is correct, due to the greater than that of Pandora's weight.

The shape of these bodies helps to understand the history and development of satellites. For example, an explanation of the elongated shape of the Pandora can be a low density of the material, the term planetoid. Perhaps Pandora formed from particles of Saturn's rings, joined together for one or another reason.

Source: geektimes.ru/post/265096/