Scientists plumb icy eruptions on Saturn’s moon Computer model explains forces behind geysers on Enceladus By Steve Koppes Image courtesy of NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute The Cassini spacecraft has observed geysers erupting on Saturn’s moon Enceladus since 2005, but the process that drives and sustains these eruptions has remained a mystery. Now scientists at the University of Chicago and Princeton University have pinpointed a mechanism by which cyclical tidal stresses exerted by Saturn can drive Enceladus’ long-lived eruptions. “On Earth, eruptions don’t tend to continue for long,” said Edwin Kite, UChicago assistant professor of geophysical sciences. “When you see eruptions that continue for a long time, they’ll be localized into a few pipelike eruptions with wide spacing between them
来源(Source From): http://www.uchicago.edu/features/scientists_plumb_icy_eruptions_on_saturns_moon