Posted on 12/04/2015 11:47:48 AM PST by SunkenCiv
A University of Montana professor who studies astrophysics has discovered how water ions escape from Saturn's environment...
UM Professor Daniel Reisenfeld is a member of the Cassini research team...
One of the instruments on Cassini measures the planet's magnetosphere - the charged particles, known as plasma, that are trapped in the space surrounding Saturn by its magnetic field. One of Cassini's past discoveries is that Saturn's plasma comprises water ions, which are derived from Saturn's moon Enceladus, which spews water vapors from its Yellowstone-like geysers. Knowing that the water ions would not be able to accumulate indefinitely, the team of researchers set out to explain how the water ions escape from Saturn's magnetosphere...
In the paper, the authors explain that the plasma found a place to exhaust out of the magnetosphere at a reconnection point - basically where magnetic fields from one environment disconnect and reconnect with magnetic fields from another environment. In the case of Saturn, researchers discovered the reconnection point was located at the back of the planet, where the magnetotail was connecting with the solar winds' magnetic field.
Reisenfeld likens the situation to a rotary or a traffic circle. Once you get into the rotary you have limited exit points.
"If you can't find the exit, you keep going around in circles," he said. "So, the plasma around Saturn is basically trapped to go around the rotary. We assumed it had to escape somehow and somewhere, but actually finding the jettison point is pretty cool."
Saturn is a very rapidly rotating planet. This discovery will help scientists understand the physics of how other rapid rotators such as Jupiter, stars and pulsars expel their materials and the details of how it works.
(Excerpt) Read more at eurekalert.org ...
“Saturn is a very rapidly rotating planet. This discovery will help scientists understand the physics of how other rapid rotators such as Jupiter, stars and pulsars expel their materials and the details of how it works.”
They better hurry before ISIS cuts off their liberal heads.
Is Bill Nye involved?
Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Enceladus: Ringside Water World [12/03/2015]
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That would help explain why he looks that way.
Saturn is shooting water into space?
What if we built a water slide from Saturn to Earth?
We could charge five, six bucks a ride and make a fortune.
You’d probably have to climb like a hundred stairs to get back to Saturn for another ride.
Well, exercise is good for you.
Ask Chipotle how water escapes from Uranus.
space rain !
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