REAL LIFE NEWS: CASSINI’S ENCELADUS FLYBY
by Hazed
Last week I told you that the Cassini probe was conducting a penultimate flyby of Jupiter’s moon Enceladus, approaching to within 30 miles of the surface and flying through one of the geysers that jet water into space.
Now the first pictures from that pass through the plume have been released, and you can see them at the links below.
Researchers will shortly begin to study the data Cassini sent back from its gas analyser and dust detector instruments, which sampled the plume of glass and ice. We should find out more about their make up in the next month, which will provide important insights into the ocean that lies beneath Enceladus’ surface.
Cassini will return for a final flyby of Enceladus on December 19, when it will measure the amount of heat coming from the moon’s interior.
Source: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/flybys/enceladus20151028/
http://supernovacondensate.net/2015/11/04/winter-wonderland/
