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Saturn's Moon Enceladus Has an Atmosphere

Posted by samzenpus on from the quite-but-a-little-chilly dept.

Dimentox writes "The Mercury News reports that the international Cassini spacecraft has discovered that Saturn's moon Enceladus has a significant atmosphere, NASA said Wednesday. The icy moon's atmosphere may be created by volcanism, geysers or gases escaping from the surface or the interior, the space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said. Excluding Saturn's giant moon Titan, which was already known to have an atmosphere, it's the first discovery of an atmosphere on one of the more than 30 moons that orbit the ringed planet."

21 of 224 comments (clear)

  1. That's no moon! by kryogen1x · · Score: 1, Funny

    That's a space station!

    1. Re:That's no moon! by rob_levine · · Score: 2, Funny

      I have a very bad feeling about this...

  2. Enceladus has atmosphere... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    but, alas, lacks ambiance. We give it one star.

    1. Re:Enceladus has atmosphere... by Rauser · · Score: 2, Funny

      It's sadly lacking in warmth as well.

      --
      The white zone is for loading and unloading only. If you need to load or unload go to the white zone. It's a way of life
  3. Second First by LakeSolon · · Score: 5, Funny

    Excluding Saturn's giant moon Titan, which was already known to have an atmosphere, it's the first discovery of an atmosphere...

    Excluding the first it's the first? We have a word for that. "Second".

    ~Lake

    1. Re:Second First by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      So while your comment has been marked interesting, it's really not. It's pedantic more then anything.

      I second that!

    2. Re:Second First by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      The word you want is spelt "pedantist".

    3. Re:Second First by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      I'm the first AC to second that since the last one!

  4. blimey by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Saturn's got a moon? It's called Enceladus? Blimey, you learn something new every day!

    Any other moons out there I should know about?

  5. lift a cheek... by caino59 · · Score: 2, Funny

    The icy moon's atmosphere may be created by volcanism, geysers or gases escaping from the surface or the interior, the space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said.

    Gases escaping?

    It's the GNOMES!

  6. Excluding.... by jbum · · Score: 4, Funny

    Excluding the more than 30 moons that orbit the ringed planet, it's the first discovery of a moon orbiting the ringed planet!

  7. Ahh, the atmoshere by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Oh Enceladus, how I love the atmoshere around you, it makes me want to slap uranus.

  8. Re:It's basically almost virtually the first one! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    After this person you're the first person who has mentioned that.

  9. All your base are belong to us? by Jugalator · · Score: 4, Funny

    The Mercury News reports that the international Cassini spacecraft has discovered that Saturn's moon Enceladus has a significant atmosphere, NASA said Wednesday.

    Not only that, but I bet there's an entire rebel base there as well!
    NASA should better send down a probe there to check it out.

    --
    Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
    1. Re:All your base are belong to us? by Capt'n+Hector · · Score: 2, Funny

      That's no moon! It's a space station! (that's the other side.)

      --
      Quid festinatio swallonis est aetherfuga inonusti?
      Africus aut Europaeus?
  10. MMMM. Mexican Food! by levitater · · Score: 3, Funny

    Homer: Mmmmmm.... Moon Enchiladas.

    Comic Book Guy: For your information, my corpulent comrade, it's "Enceladus," who in Greek mythology was a giant who was defeated in battle and buried under Mount Etna by Athena.

  11. So. . . does that mean *I* have an atmosphere? by jafac · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...The icy moon's atmosphere may be created by ...gases escaping from ... the interior...

    That could describe a lot of people I know.

    --

    These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
  12. Re:Well, for one thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    ...but the atmosphere is probably composed of methane and other nasty hydrocarbons...I'm pulling all this out of my butt.

    So it looks like we just found another rock that smells like farts.

    So usue the usual grain of salt.

    Or, considering all that methane, how 'bout "a hill of beans"?

  13. First Post! by psychgeek · · Score: 5, Funny

    Excluding the posts above, I *finally* have a first post.....

  14. The Mercury News? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Shouldn't the Saturn News be reporting this?

  15. Coincidentally... by serutan · · Score: 2, Funny

    Our sysadmin's cube also has an atmosphere created by gas escaping.