The south polar region of a frigid Saturn moon churns out far more heat than Yellowstone National Park, Earth's most famous geologic hotspot, a new study released by NASA JPL finds.
Using data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, researchers have determined that the far southern reaches of the Saturn moon Enceladus produce about 15.8 gigawatts of heat-generated power. That's about 2.6 times the power output of all the hot springs in and around Yellowstone — and 10 times more than scientists had predicted, researchers have told Space.com.
According to Cassini's composite infrared spectrometer (CIRS), the activity is most prominent along an 80-mile stretch of four parallel, mile-wide furrows. Evidence gathered in October 2008 showed that huge plumes of water vapour emitted from these same furrows contained methane, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and silicate dust -- elements that indicate the presence of a habitable saltwater ocean beneath the moon's frozen shell, in contact with the satellite's mineral-rich terrain, notes Wired UK.
Using data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, researchers have determined that the far southern reaches of the Saturn moon Enceladus produce about 15.8 gigawatts of heat-generated power. That's about 2.6 times the power output of all the hot springs in and around Yellowstone — and 10 times more than scientists had predicted, researchers have told Space.com.
According to Cassini's composite infrared spectrometer (CIRS), the activity is most prominent along an 80-mile stretch of four parallel, mile-wide furrows. Evidence gathered in October 2008 showed that huge plumes of water vapour emitted from these same furrows contained methane, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and silicate dust -- elements that indicate the presence of a habitable saltwater ocean beneath the moon's frozen shell, in contact with the satellite's mineral-rich terrain, notes Wired UK.
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