illexsquid      

08-26-2011  11:20:28

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/html/object_page/vg2_p23932.html

Remarkably similar to the face Voyager 2 saw. Hyperion has just rotated around a little more to show us that the bite out of the hamburger is actually another large crater (top of this image, partially in shadow). Amazing that there's anything left of this little brittle moon after so many large impacts.

illexsquid      

06-07-2010  13:23:18

The clarity and measured optimism of this article are a voice of reason that needs to be heard. It is unfortunate that an interesting new finding gets so obscured by the time it passes through the filter of the mainstream media. Honestly, do "science reporters" these days have to know even basic high school science?

Not having seen the Strobel paper, the thing I was left wondering is this: how much variability in the paramaters of their model did they allow, and how did this affect the resultant expectation of hydrogen flux? Presumably, his team ran more than one simulation, and was able to come up with some determination of how sensitive the model is to varying conditions.

Also, presuming this result holds, what is the "next step"? Does Cassini have any more instruments that can bolster or refute this claim? Or do we have to wait for the promised Titan balloon mission?

illexsquid      

11-03-2009  12:36:26

This image most clearly separates the major eruption points, but also shows a great deal of fine detail within each one, as well as many discrete minor sources on Enceladus. The level of detail visible within the fountains far surpasses what I remember from previous flybys. Is this because experience has taught the Cassini crew how to optimize exposure, or just a consequence of resolution/angle of view?

illexsquid      

11-02-2009  22:29:59

I am assuming those "stars" are cosmic ray strikes on the camera detector. In normal releases they get processed out, but in a quick, raw release like this little processing is done so that we the public get to see the image as quickly as possible.

Awesome image, with some of Enceladus in total darkness, some lit by Saturnshine, and a sliver of sun to show us how nearly backlit the little moon is. Tremendous details in the fountains, too; it looks like we're seeing eruptions from multiple sources.