Webb maps surprisingly large plume jetting from Saturn’s moon Enceladus
Tuesday, May 30, 2023 - 10:32
in Astronomy & Space
Interaction between moon’s plumes and Saturn’s ring system explored with WebbA water vapour plume from Saturn’s moon Enceladus spanning more than 9600 kilometres — long enough to stretch across the Eurasian continent from Ireland to Japan — has been detected by researchers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. Not only is this the first time such water ejection has been seen over such an expansive distance, but Webb is also giving scientists a direct look, for the first time, at how this emission feeds the water supply for the entire system of Saturn and its rings.