The Cassini spacecraft that has been busily exploring Saturn and its moons swooped to within 30 miles of the tiny moon Enceladus yesterday, and has already begun sending back images of the fissures near the moon's south pole. The icy moon, which is about 310 miles wide,
has tantalized scientists with geyser-like eruptions of icy water vapor that were first spotted in 2005.... The eruptions produce a halo of frozen water vapor and gas that replenishes Saturn's E-ring as Enceladus circles the planet [SPACE.com].
The Cassini took images of the fissures, which scientists call the moon's "tiger stripes," in the infrared spectrum as well, to gain further information about the temperatures in the vents; previous studies had shown temperatures there can reach a relatively balmy -135 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 200 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the rest of the moon. While the material sprayed out of the fissures consists of ...
