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Cassini has composed the heat map of Enceladus "tiger stripes". / December 2, 2010 /

Scientists were heat map of cracks and ice geysers on the surface of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. For map making the researchers used data transmitted probe «Cassini», according to a press release from Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for NASA.

Because of its appearance cracks were called «tiger stripes». They are located at the south pole of Enceladus and Cassini flew over the region satellite on Aug. 13, 2010. In this case, the probe is at a greater distance from Enceladus, and therefore in his field of vision has got a large area, for which the map was drawn up. The following passage, which will make such a card, will be held no earlier than 2015.

Spatial resolution images transferred apparatus was about 800 meters. In photographs, scientists have found new cracks that have not seen before. Images in the infrared showed that the heat comes from the cracks. The average temperature of the «tiger stripes» was about 190 degrees Kelvin (minus 83.15 degrees Celsius). The temperature at the surface of Enceladus in other regions do not usually exceed 50 degrees Kelvin (minus 223.15 degrees Celsius). Also, researchers have discovered a strange warm spot that was away from the other thermal units.

The study captured Cassini images will help scientists better understand the nature of thermal processes on Enceladus. In the vicinity of «tiger stripes» are the geysers that are thrown to the surface of the water vapor and ice chunks. The exact mechanism of their «work» to astronomers as yet unknown.

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