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17 sep.- Cassini Space Agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA, for its acronym in English) discovered an ocean beneath the icy crust of Enceladus, active moon of Saturn.
The slight “wobble” of the moon as it orbits Saturn can only be explained if the outer layer of ice is not frozen inside, which means that a global ocean, indicated researchers.
The scientists analyzed more than seven years the images of Enceladus taken by the spacecraft, orbiting Saturn since mid-2004, NASA explained in its website.
Looking at the positions and characteristics of Enceladus, consisting mostly of craters, scientists also measured changes in the rotation of the moon, which identified the “wobble” while performing orbit Saturn.
The icy moon of Saturn is not entirely spherical, has fast and slow movements while rotating around Saturn, which causes the giant planet moves from “subtle” way back and forth when in orbit.
“If the surface and core are connected rigidly both the core provide deadweight that Wade would be much lower,” said Matthew Tiscareno, participant Cassini scientist at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California and co-author.
“This shows that there must be a global layer of liquid that separates the core surface,” he added.
However, Tiscareno said mechanisms could have prevented the freezing of the ocean are a mystery.
Therefore, scientists are working on other studies that could help solve the issue, including the possibility of tidal forces due to the gravity of Saturn generate more heat inside Enceladus than previously thought.
The NASA reported that the Cassini spacecraft will fly closer to Enceladus on October 28, passing through the active column of icy material , just 49 kilometers from the surface of the moon.
Source. Notimex
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