How It Works - UK (2020-02)

DID YOU KNOW? The surface of Enceladus is bright white; it’s known to be the most reflective body in our Solar System

Discoverthe internalplumbingthathass

createdEnceladus’abilitytojettisonn

Inside Ence sss’’’

waterworks

y

waatrrrfrom itssurfaccce

SCAN HERE

AR ZONE!

Circling among the iconic rings of Saturn is a moon spitting

water and ice out into space. Enceladus is Saturn’s sixth-largest

moon, spanning around 500 kilometres in diameter. What

makes it different from its lunar cousins are four 135-kilometre

fractures at its south pole which are home to around 100 geysers

that spray water, ice and vapour at around 400 metres per

second. Commonly known as Enceladus’ ‘tiger stripes’, geyser

activity at these cavernous stripes was discovered in 2005 when

NASA’s research spacecraft, Cassini, captured the first hints of

this icy phenomenon. Since then scientists have uncovered that

the source of these frozen fountains comes from a global ocean

some ten kilometres beneath Enceladus’ icy surface.

NASA’s Cassini detected plumes

erupting from the icy moon

© NASA/JPL-Caltech

Geysers

Similartothegeysers

foundonEarth,heated

groundwaterandgas

areevictedfrom

beneaththesurface.

Undergroundocean

It’sbelievedthatbeneaththe

frozencrusta globaloceanis

sandwichedbetweenthe

surfaceiceandrockycore.

Fissures

Fissuresandfractures

acrossEnceladus’icy

exteriorallowwaterto

flowuptothesurface.

Rockycore

AttheheartofEnceladusis

a porousrockycorewhere

frictionbetweeneachrock

grainis generatinginternal

heatbelowtheice.

Tigerstripes

MuchlikethewavesonEarth

areaffectedbythe

gravitationalpullofourmoon,

Enceladaus’tigerstripesare

openedandclosedbythepull

ofSaturnduringthemoon’s

33-hourorbit.

http://www.howitworksdaily.com How It Works 075

Tidalheating

AtmomentswhenEnceladus’

tigerstripesareopen,heated

waterandvapourbelowthe

iceescapethroughfracturesin

thesurfaceice.