Washington: NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has the most detailed global infrared views ever produced by Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Using those images provides strong evidence that the northern hemisphere of the moon has been resurfaced with ice from its interior. Cassini’s Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) collected light reflected off Saturn, its rings, and its 10 major icy moons — light that is visible to humans as well as infrared light. VIMS then separated the light into its various wavelengths, information that tells scientists more about the makeup of the material reflecting it.
Combined with detailed images captured by Cassini’s Imaging Science Subsystem, were used to make the new global spectral map of Enceladus. The new spectral map shows that infrared signals clearly correlate with that geologic activity, which is easily seen at the south pole. That’s where the so-called “tiger stripe” gashes blast ice and vapor from the interior ocean. But some of the same infrared features also appear in the northern hemisphere. That tells scientists not only that the northern area is covered with fresh ice but that the same kind of geologic activity, a resurfacing of the landscape has occurred in both hemispheres. The infrared shows us that the surface of the south pole is young, which is not a surprise because we knew about the jets that blast icy material there.
Post Your Comments