2023-06-14 09:11:04
Enceladus, a frozen moon orbiting Saturn, has attracted scientists’ attention because of the plumes of vapor emanating from its icy crust, potential evidence of a subsurface ocean. And the ocean means that it has the potential for life (at least life as we know it). Now NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has seen a plume like no other.
Plumes of steam from Enceladus through cold volcanoes form cracks in the ice. These worms can extend hundreds of miles from the surface. When a team of NASA researchers took a closer look at the new JWST data, they realized that one plume near the moon’s south pole was much larger than the others. At 9,500 kilometers (6,000 miles) across, it is the largest water spray ever seen in space. It is 20 times larger than Enceladus and extends far enough to easily cover the distance from Los Angeles to Buenos Aires. As Enceladus continued to orbit Saturn, this plume of steam formed a ghostly halo around the planet.
“This situation [water] The researchers said in a statement that this activity … makes Enceladus the main source of water throughout the Saturnian system. Stady Accepted for publication in Nature Astronomy.
construction rings
The corona (or torus) of Enceladus from its wake actually makes up most of Saturn’s energy ring, its largest outer ring. Enceladus has been suspected to be geologically active since Voyagers visited Saturn, and NASA researchers first confirmed the existence of the geysers in 2005 by analyzing data from the Cassini probe and Herschel Observatory. Plumes of vapor escape from Enceladus, explaining why this ring appears fainter and fainter than others.
Cassini’s flyby and mass spectrometry detected widespread vapor throughout the rings of Saturn and its other moons. Webb added to Cassini’s legacy by providing a broader view of the Saturn system. This provides unprecedented insight into how water vapor from these emissions contributes to Taurus and the overall water supply to Saturn and its rings.
Webb’s instruments were able to determine that most of the water droplets that often escape from Enceladus’ vapor do not remain within the moon’s near-belt. With its 33-hour orbit — just 1.37 Earth days — it sprays steam around Saturn far and wide. The MegaBlume does it especially fast, spraying a staggering 300 liters (79 gallons) every second. The observations reported by Webb indicate that only about 30 percent of that water remains in Taurus, while 70 percent is dispersed throughout the Saturnian system. This means that the moon Enceladus supplies most of its water to the system.
What’s in the water?
Webb’s observations were made using an integrated field unit (IFU), which can simultaneously image an object and see the spectrum it emits, which tells us what objects the object is made of. The IFU is part of the Webb’s Near Infrared Spectroscopy Instrument (NIRSpec), which monitors molecular emissions across a wide range of the infrared spectrum. Infrared emissions from the plume revealed not only that it was composed of water vapor, but also how far that vapor extends from the surface, revealing its massive size.
The NIRSpec data was also examined for organic molecules such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, ethane, and methanol, which may be potential indicators of life or vital processes. There are no traces of these creatures in the blooms.
The researchers added, “As we prepare to send a new spacecraft into the outer solar system, these observations demonstrate JWST’s unique ability to provide critical support in the exploration of distant icy bodies and frozen plumes of volcanoes.” Stady.
Although the massive geyser contains no organic matter, Enceladus’ plumes of steam are thought to originate from hydrothermal vents deep in its surface ocean. These formations are also found on Earth’s sea floor, where hot water heated by subterranean magma seeps into its frigid ocean. Enceladus’ core generates enough heat to keep the water liquid.
One day, another volcanic eruption captured by Webb may turn up evidence of life on his hidden ocean world. Enceladus has actual power Existing organic compounds have been found They are able to react chemically to produce amino acids, the building blocks of life on Earth, and one day, we may see potential signs of life.
Creature by Elizabeth Wren. His work has appeared in SYFY WIRE, Space.com, Live Science, Grunge, Den of Geek, and Forbidden Futures. When not writing, she changes shape, draws, or disguises herself as a character no one has ever heard of. Follow her on Twitter: @hravenrayne.
lists the image NASA and ESA and CSA and STScI and G. Villanueva
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