The atmosphere of Saturn is known for its gas content of trace in the deeper layers, while the presence of water in the atmosphere was so far a great puzzle. But seems now to start a solution with the infrared eye of Herschel, the largest infrared space telescope, which sees such a significant Italian, as one of the researchers of the Inaf-Ifsi, Rome, operating under the scientific key project “Hi-lag: the investigation on the Herschel infrared Galactic plane”, funded by Asi (Italian Space Agency).
Herschel discovered the cause of the huge gas ring around the planet: a ring of water vapour that correspond to a range that exceeds 10 times that of Saturn. In addition, this single “cloud” Saturn appears to be produced by a water source, water was expelled from Enceladus, a moon of Saturn discovered 222 years by the German astronomer Frederick William Herschel. The behavior of Saturn is quite unique and has no analogy with what is happening on Earth: in fact, our atmosphere is not any water from the outside.
A discovery of the genus was made possible only by infrared which are the characteristics of the Herschel spacecraft. The mission, launched on 14 May 2009 combined Planck, is a “cornestone”, the European Space Agency (Esa): with its mirror 3.5 metres in diameter (largest ever put into orbit) allows to study the universe in the infrared wavelengths and submillimetrico with a sensitivity and spatial resolution.
Infrared and submillimetre is the only one who can “drill” clouds of dust and gas surrounding the galaxies and the oldest stars in training. It is also more sensitive to cold objects of emission spectral band. With these properties, Herschel can observe galaxies more distant and remote objects in the solar system and allows to study the complex chemistry of the interstellar medium, which may have provided to our planet the biogenic of this life.Its high sensitivity enables also a statistical study of the planétésimaux located beyond the orbit of Pluto and the minor bodies in our solar system, such as asteroids and comets, the oldest fossils in the solar system, those who have preserved the material of the proto-stellaire cloud.
It includes the performance produced by the probe to its passage between satellites of Saturn, and especially when it’s light on the icy surface of Enceladus, the body with albedo (i.e. the ability to reflect light from the Sun) superior to any other body in the solar system, while now an average temperature of surface of approximately 200 degrees below freezing.
The most recent shows available data that Enceladus is the only moon that can affect the chemical composition of their homeworld. In fact, the books of satellite approximately 250 moves water vapour per second, through the so-called Tiger stripes, a series of jets located at the South Pole, which give the surface a characteristic effect Brindle.
The measures collected by Herschel can also infer that water striking the surface of the planet is only 3 to 5% of the deportees of Enceladus, while the rest dispersed on the other moons, rings or in space. Emissions of the ground allow the formation of ice on the surface layer and thus produce oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Of course, the interest for this discovery, in addition to the strictly astronomical aspect, directly affects one of the hot spots in the space for debate, i.e. the presence of extraterrestrial life forms: water and life is easy to implement. But it is even easier to be simplistic in this regard and too hasty conclusions, exchanging a fluke with certainty. For the moment, therefore, focus on the astronomical evidence.
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