Saturn Moon Continues to Delight and Baffle

vic_1066 writes to tell us that BBC News is reporting on the many interesting discoveries made by the Cassini probe. The Saturn moon, Enceladus, apparently continues to provide confusion and excitement for scientists the world over. The Cassini probe has been making waves ever since its arrival to the Saturn system.

Comments

For those who care about who...

[rob_squared]

...the moon is named after:

"In Greek mythology Enceladus was a Titan who was defeated in battle and buried under Mount Etna by Athena."

Great things come in small packages

[lightyear4]

These are the things that make this universe so incredible! Nature may be governed by general laws, but she will never allow a dull moment

For such a tiny moon (its only 500km across), this one packs plenty of surprises. This oddity has: a localized hotspot at its southern pole, a largely water vapor atmostphere with some interesting trace compounds, and most intriguingly, a spot on the very short list of places possibly harboring life.

Absolutely intriguing - congrats to the Cassini team for their achievements.

It'd be interesting

[krymsin01]

if the source of the heat turned out to be a natural nuclear reactor, like Oklo. I doubt that's a possibility, since I would think it'd put off a lot more heat if it were.