Enceladus Truck Essay

Today NASA's Cassini spacecraft will zoom close to Saturn's moon Enceladus in an attempt to fly through a plume of icy spray thrown up from the alien world's surface. This flyby will shed light on new research published this week suggesting that Enceladus, sixth largest of many moons that orbit the famous ringed planet, has a core that is similar to primitive meteorites found on Earth.

Saturn's moon Enceladus with plumes spraying from fractures in the south polar region. Courtesy: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Saturn's moon Enceladus with plumes spraying from fractures in the south polar region. Courtesy of NASA.

CHEMISTRY BENEATH THE SURFACE

Analysis of the chemical composition of the geyser-like plumes that erupt from the moon suggests that chemical reactions are taking place between water and rock deep beneath the surface, according to the research which appears this week in the academic journal Nature Communications.

They have been found to consist of ice and tiny silica-rich particles that are thought to originate from deep within the moon. Experiments conducted back on Earth by the scientists who have written the new paper indicate that the make up of the rocks that give rise to these silica particles must be very similar to the primordial mixture of minerals thought to date from the very earliest days of the solar system.

This discovery means that the formation of Enceladus and Saturn date back to within just four million years of the formation of the entire solar system around 4.6 billon years ago, the researchers state - a mere blink of an eye in astronomical terms.

Enceladus. Courtesy: