Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

• The sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

Sixth largest Saturn, Enceladus having 504 kilometers in diameter, is the subject of attention of scientists, and this is largely due to its impressive active geysers and possible underground ocean with liquid water.

In 2011, scientists said Enceladus - the "most suitable for this kind of life, as we know, in our solar system beyond Earth.

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

Enceladus, Saturn's sixth moon. It was opened back in 1789 by William Herschel, but remained little known until the early 1980s, when it became close with two interplanetary probe "Voyager". Their images allowed to determine its diameter and discover that Enceladus' surface reflects almost all of it falling on the sunshine. (Photo: NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

Enceladus is named after a giant Enkelada from Greek mythology. This is the name (including the names of the first seven open satellites of Saturn) the son suggested to its discoverer - John Herschel - the publication of the 1847 "The results of astronomical observations made at the Cape of Good Hope."

So it looks Enceladus surface a distance of about 2028 kilometers. (Photo: NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

Detail Enceladus relief given names taken from the collection of short stories "A Thousand and One Nights." The craters are named after his characters and other structures - furrow (fossae), ridges, valleys and potholes - in honor of the geographic features mentioned there. As of May 2013, the International Astronomical Union officially adopted the 84 name. (Photo: NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

The surface of Enceladus with craters, photographed on October 14, 2015. (Photo by NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

Enceladus, Saturn's rings and Titan in the background - the second largest moon in the Solar System (after Jupiter's Ganymede satellite), by the way, is the only one other than Earth and Mars, the body in the solar system, for which proven fluid exist on the surface. (Photo: NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

The average diameter of Enceladus - 504.2 km. This sixth the size and weight of the Saturn after Titan (5150 km) Rei (1530 km), lapetus (1440 km), Dione (1,120 km) and Tethys (1050 km). The orbit of the satellite is located at a distance of 237,378 km from Saturn and 180 000 km from the top of its clouds. (Photo: NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

On the background of the huge Saturn his companions seem to be quite tiny. There are visible and a small satellite Enceladus Epimetheus (113 kilometers across). (Photo: NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

The surface of Enceladus, 14 October 2015. The study received a high-resolution mosaic showed that the satellite has at least five different types of terrain, including areas with craters, smooth and ribbed parts of the area, often bordering on plain. On the surface, small craters and a lot of original grooves. In addition, there are long cracks and ledges. These facts indicate that the surface of Enceladus young (a few hundred million years) and / or recently updated. Apparently, this is due to its kriovulkanicheskoy activity. (Photo: NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

Enceladus is composed mainly of water ice and has an almost white surface with a record in the solar system clean and reflectivity. It reflects almost all incident light. Accordingly, light absorption by the surface is very small, and its average temperature at noon only reaches -198 ° C. (Photo: NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

The surface temperature - minus 200 degrees Celsius. There are areas with an abnormally high temperature (20-30 degrees higher). The presence of such sites on Enceladus, and the atmosphere and the surface of the young indicates the presence of a source of energy, supporting the geological processes on the moon. (Photo: NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

Deep faults and relief stripes on Enceladus. The photograph was taken at a distance of about 2446 km above the surface. (Photo: NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

Sent "Cassini" in 2005 geysers pictures, beating out "tiger stripes" on a height of 250 km, it gave rise to speak about the possible existence under the ice crust Enceladus ocean full of liquid water. However geysers themselves are not evidence the presence of liquid water as indicated in the first place for the presence of tectonic forces, leading to a shift and ice formation as a result of the friction of liquid water emissions. (Photo: NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

In 2014 were published the results of studies, according to which there is a subsurface Enceladus ocean. The basis of this finding formed measurements of the gravitational field of the satellite, made during three close (less than 500 km above the surface) spans "Cassini" above Enceladus 2010-2012. The data allowed the scientists are confident enough to say that under the south pole of the satellite lies an ocean of liquid water. The temperature of the upper layers of water mass can be about -45 ° C and with increasing depth to reach 0 ... + 1 ° C, which is comparable to the temperature of the earth Arctic and Antarctic waters. Bottom, presumably stone. (Photo: NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

The organic compounds found "Cassini" in the saltwater geysers satellite in 2005, the affirmation of the ocean of existence of liquid water quite shallow, comparable to the Mariana Trench, the high alkalinity of the water and direct evidence of hydrothermal activity combine to make Enceladus is the most attractive place to Solar System to search for microbial life.

Enceladus in all its glory on the background of the rings of Saturn, on December 21, 2010. (Photo by NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

Images obtained "Cassini" the approach of July 14, 2005, showed a kind of tectonically deformed region located around the south pole of Enceladus. The region is riddled with faults and ridges. There are few large impact craters, from which one can conclude that it is the youngest section of the surface of Enceladus. According to the rate of accumulation of craters age of some parts of this area is estimated at 500,000 years, and probably less.

Near the center of the field you can see the four fault bounded on either side of the ridge. They are informally known as "tiger stripes." Their depth reaches 500 meters, a width - of two kilometers, and the length - 130 kilometers. (Photo: NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

A view of Enceladus and Saturn with rings from a distance of about 1,378,400 km. (Photo: NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

icy landscape of Enceladus. Most Enceladus cratered having different concentrations and degrees of destruction. (Photo: NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

In this photo visible Enceladus, Saturn's rings and a small satellite Epimetheus, on October 1, 2011. (Photo by NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

"tiger stripes" mentioned above received their own names in 2006: potholes Alexandria, Cairo, Baghdad and Damascus. (Photo: NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

View of Enceladus' surface from a distance of 1063 kilometers, on October 31, 2008. (Photo by NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

the northern polar region of the satellite is very different from the South: it is heavily cratered and therefore quite old. (Photo: NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens

The icy moon Enceladus and Saturn's rings from a distance of 291,000 kilometers, on June 28, 2007. Image scale is about 2 kilometers per pixel. (Photo: NASA | JPL | Space Science Institute):

Sixth satellite of Saturn in the lens