Enceladus was similar in composition with comet
The study, conducted with the assistance of the space probe Cassini have shown that on their chemical composition of Saturn satellite Enceladus very much resembles a comet, the News Scientist. That surprised scientists because it is believed that satellite giant planets are formed in other circumstances.
March 12 Cassini flew through the water Entselada emissions from the surface. In addition to water vapor, tools, machinery recorded in carbon dioxide, methane and some other, more complex organic elements, such as propane. According to Hunter Uyte researcher from South-West Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, the number of such organics geyser in the satellite of Saturn, experts did not expect to find. It also revealed that the chemical composition Entselada is very similar to the composition of comets.
Julia Castillo of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory said that the most likely and comets and Enceladus formed from the same material and have similar processes occur. It's quite strange, because it is believed that comets formed far from the Sun, near the orbits of Neptune and Uranus. Enceladus, in turn, emerged from a cloud of gas produced Saturn and its moon major. Thus, in the first and second case, the temperature and pressure were to be different, so they should and composition vary.
William Mackin of the University. Washington at St. Louis, MO believed that Enceladus can never be a giant comet, prityanutoy Saturn. He did not, however, exclude the possibility that chemical elements present in comets gazovopylevom cloud-giant planet. Or maybe Enceladus during the early solar system, had been reinforced bombardment of comets.
During the passage of the satellites of Saturn, infrared camera Cassini detected heat generation in the region of the southern pole Entselada. Temperatures in the "tiger stripes" - faults outer surface of the body - at the temperature exceeds 90 њ in the other regions.
John Spencer of the South-West Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, said that, in principle, to Entselade with all conditions for the emergence of life: water, heat and organic.
It is expected that the "Cassini" had Relationship with Entseladom twice this year - in August and October.