What is the atmosphere on Enceladus?

What is the atmosphere on Enceladus?

Enceladus

Does Saturn’s moon Enceladus have a thick atmosphere?

Jupiter’s other large moons (Europa, Ganymede and Callisto) have tenuous atmospheres too, but Enceladus is by far the smallest moon to boast a gaseous shroud. Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, is the only satellite in the Solar System with a truly thick atmosphere: its surface air pressure is 50% higher than Earth’s.

Is Enceladus atmosphere thin?

Saturn’s snow-white moon, Enceladus, is shrouded by a thin water-vapour atmosphere, reveal measurements from the US-European Cassini spacecraft.

Does Saturn moon have an atmosphere?

At about 327,000 miles (527,000 kilometers) from Saturn, Rhea orbits inside the planet’s magnetic field. Rhea’s oxygen atmosphere is believed to be maintained by the ongoing chemical breakdown of water ice on the moon’s surface, driven by radiation from Saturn’s magnetosphere.

What is unique about Saturn’s moon Enceladus?

Cassini revealed the dramatic truth: Enceladus is an active moon that hides a global ocean of liquid salty water beneath its crust. What’s more, jets of icy particles from that ocean, laced with a brew of water and simple organic chemicals, gush out into space continuously from this fascinating ocean world.

How thick is the atmosphere of Enceladus?

The magnetometer data suggest that Enceladus’s atmosphere is thicker than expected — about one moon diameter in extent.

Which of Saturn’s moons has an atmosphere like Earth?

Titan
Titan is the only moon in the solar system known to have a substantial atmosphere, which is mostly nitrogen like Earth’s.

How long does it take Enceladus to orbit Saturn?

32.9 hours
Enceladus is tidally locked with Saturn, keeping the same face toward the planet. It completes one orbit every 32.9 hours within the densest part of Saturn’s E Ring.

What is the atmosphere of the moon?

The three primary gases in the lunar atmosphere are neon, helium, and hydrogen, in roughly equal amounts. Small amounts of methane, carbon dioxide, ammonia, and water were also detected. In addition, argon-40 was detected, and its abundance increased at times of high seismic activity.

What planets and moons have atmospheres?

There are 8 planets and over 160 moons in the solar system. Of these, the planets Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune have significant atmospheres. Pluto (a dwarf planet) may have an appreciable atmosphere, but perhaps only when its highly elliptical orbit is closest to the Sun.

How would Saturn’s moon Enceladus be best described?

What is known about Enceladus?

Enceladus is an icy moon of Saturn—one of its 82 moons and its sixth-largest that hides a liquid ocean in its interior. It’s 310 miles/500 kilometers in diameter. Its rocky core provides energy to that ocean largely because of the tug of Saturn’s gravity.

Why does Saturn’s moon Enceladus have an atmosphere?

The Cassini spacecraft’s two close flybys of Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus have revealed that the moon has a significant atmosphere. Scientists, using Cassini’s magnetometer instrument for their studies, say the source may be volcanism, geysers, or gases escaping from the surface or the interior.

What type of orbit does Enceladus have?

Overview. Also, like some other moons in the extensive systems of the giant planets, Enceladus is trapped in what’s called an orbital resonance, which is when two or more moons line up with their parent planet at regular intervals and interact gravitationally. Enceladus orbits Saturn twice every time Dione, a larger moon, orbits once.

What is the surface temperature at noon on Enceladus?

Enceladus. It is about 500 kilometers (310 mi) in diameter, about a tenth of that of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. Enceladus is mostly covered by fresh, clean ice, making it one of the most reflective bodies of the Solar System. Consequently, its surface temperature at noon only reaches −198 °C…

What is the density of the moon Enceladus?

Enceladus has a density of 1.61 g/cm³, which is higher than Saturn’s other mid-sized, icy satellites, suggesting a composition that includes a greater percentage of silicates and iron.