Explanation:
In this stunning Saturnian vista - one in a series of
artist's visions of
volcanos on alien worlds - icy geysers erupt
along narrow fractures in inner moon
Enceladus.
The majestic plumes were actually
discovered by
instruments on the Cassini Spacecraft during close encounters
with bright and shiny Enceladus last year.
Researchers now suspect the
plumes originate from near-surface
pockets of liquid water with
temperatures
near 273 kelvins (0 degrees C) - hot when compared to the distant
moon's surface temperature of 73 kelvins (-200 degrees C).
A dramatic sign that tiny, 500km-diameter Enceladus is
surprisingly
active, these ice volcanos hold out another potential
site in the search for water and origin of life beyond planet Earth.
Enceladus' ice
volcanos also likely produce
Saturn's faint but extended E
ring.
