Hot spot on Enceladus causes plumes

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Hot spots on Saturns tiny satellite Enceladus could be telltale signs of life on the frigid moon. Photo courtesy NASA
Hot spots on Saturn's tiny satellite Enceladus could be telltale signs of life on the frigid moon. Photo courtesy NASA

Enceladus, the tiny satellite of Saturn, is colder than ice, but data gathered by the Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn and Titan has detected a hot spot that could mean there is life in the old moon after all. In fact, for researchers of the outer planets, Enceladus is so intellectually hot, it's smokin'.


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All News summaries for December 10, 2007

Satellite communications by laser

1 hour ago | User rating: not rated yet
Satellites currently use radio waves to exchange data. Now the data rate has been increased a hundredfold by using lasers instead of radio signals. Two test satellites each carried a diode laser pump module developed with ...

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With the Olympic Games in sight, the Chinese Government is committed to improving the air quality in Beijing, and has had measures in place since 1998 which have already made a difference. However, there is still some way ...

NASA's GLAST gets shades, blankets for the beach

2 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
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Fecal microorganisms inhabit sandy beaches of Florida

3 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
Traditionally, the cleanliness of a beach is monitored by sampling the bathing water a few meters from shore. But since sand is an effective filter, it follows that fecal bacteria (those from sewage) may be concentrated in ...

Astronaut health on moon may depend on good dusting

3 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
Lunar dust could be more than a housekeeping issue for astronauts who visit the moon. Their good health may depend on the amount of exposure they have to the tiny particles.