NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Observes Unprecedented Water Vapor Plume from Enceladus, Saturn’s Moon

Enceladus, the frozen moon orbiting Saturn, has attracted the attention of scientists because of the jets of water vapor that erupt from its icy crust, which is potential evidence of a subsurface ocean. And oceans mean having the potential for life (at least life as we know it). Now NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has seen an unparalleled blob.

A plume of water vapor from Enceladus explodes through a frozen volcano that forms above a rift in the ice. These blobs can extend hundreds of miles from the surface. When the NASA research team took a closer look at the new JWST data, they realized that one burst near the moon’s south pole was much larger than the others. At more than 9,500 kilometers (6,000 miles) wide, it is the largest burst of water ever seen in outer space. It is 20 times the size of Enceladus itself and extends far enough to easily cover the distance from Los Angeles to Buenos Aires. As Enceladus continues to orbit Saturn, these plumes of water vapor form ghostly halos around the planet.

“This level [water] Activity… identifies Enceladus as the main source of water in the entire Saturn system,” Stadiums It has been accepted for publication in Natural Astronomy.

construction ring

The halo (or ring) left by Enceladus actually creates most of Saturn’s electron ring, its largest outer ring. Although Enceladus is thought to have been geologically active since the Voyagers visited Saturn, NASA researchers analyzing data from the Cassini orbiter and Herschel Observatory first confirmed the existence of geysers in 2005. In 2019, additional observations of Cassini showed that e-rings were forming within it. most of it is powered by jets of water vapor flowing from Enceladus, which explains why this ring appears so much dimmer and hazier than the others.

The Cassini flyby and mass spectrometer also found water vapor widely distributed throughout Saturn’s rings and other moons. Webb adds to Cassini’s legacy by providing a broader view of the Saturn system. It now provides unprecedented insight into how water vapor from emissions like this contributes to the torus and the overall water supply of Saturn and its rings.

Webb’s instrument was able to see that most of the water droplets from Enceladus’ regular vapor do not linger inside the torus near the moon. Its 33-hour orbit – only 1.37 Earth days – means it sprays water vapor widely around Saturn. It does it at breakneck speed, with the Mega Bloom spraying an astounding 300 liters (79 gallons) every second. Webb’s backcast observations show that only about 30 percent of water remains in the rings, while 70 percent is spread throughout the Saturn system. This means that Enceladus supplies the system with most of its water.

What is in the water?

Webb’s observations were made using an Integrated Field Unit (IFU), which can simultaneously image an object and view the spectrum it produces, which tells us what material the object is made of. The IFU is part of the Webb Near Infrared Spectroscopy Instruments (NIRSpec), which can view molecular emission across a wide range of the infrared spectrum. The infrared emission from the plume reveals not only what water vapor is made of, but how far the water vapor extends from the surface, revealing its enormous size.

The NIRSpec data is also examined for organic molecules such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, ethane and methanol, which can be potential indicators of life or vital processes. There are no traces of this organic matter in the column.

The researchers also said Stadiums.

Although there is no organic material inside the supergiant, Enceladus’ steam plumes are thought to originate from hydrothermal vents in the depths of the subsurface ocean. These formations are also found on Earth’s ocean floor, where hot water heated by underground magma flows into frigid oceans. Enceladus’ core generates enough heat to keep water liquid.

Perhaps one day, another volcanic eruption captured by Webb may provide evidence of life in the hidden world around it. Enceladus is indeed water vapor It was found that they contain organic compounds are able to react chemically to produce amino acids, the building blocks of life on Earth, and one day, we may see more potential signs of life emerging.

Elizabeth Raine Creature Writing. His work has appeared on SYFY WIRE, Space.com, Live Science, Grunge, Den of Geek and Forbidden Futures. When he’s not writing, he’s deforming, drawing, or impersonating characters no one has ever heard of. Follow him on Twitter: @hravenrayne.

Include image by NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, and G. Villanueva