We’ve all seen the beautiful Cassini images of plumes emanating from the surface of Enceladus. So that begs the question – how is Enceladus hot enough to produce liquid when the moon appears to be an icy wasteland?
Enceladus’ Jets (NASA)
In 2008 Cassini flybys of Enceladus led to the startling discovery of Enceladus’ plumes and the presence of cryovolcanic activity on the moon. Further investigations found that there are higher temperatures at the Tiger Stripe region of the moon, where the temperature is –93°C. This is at the very least 115°C warmer than other regions of Enceladus!
Enceladus’ Tiger Stripes (NASA)
