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Anne Verbiscer • Jul 13, 2009
Icy Satellites of the Saturnian System, University College London, 29-30 June 2009
by Anne Verbiscer
Geraint Jones, UCL
Fun with Saturn Images
CIRS Detects Warm Emissions
ndogenic emissions across Enceladus' tiger stripe region determined from Cassini's Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS). Purple indicates regions with temperatures no higher than that found on a surface heated only by incident sunlight, while light blue to yellow indicates regions of higher temperatures, presumably due to geologic activity. Black squares show the locations of jets identified by Cassini's Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS).
How will the diminishing sunlight affect the observed endogenic emission? Fortunately, we have less than six months to wait for the next close-up views of this geologically active corner of the Solar System.
Anne Verbiscer is a Research Associate Professor at the University of Virginia. She studies the surfaces of icy bodies in the outer Solar System and has been involved with the Cassini mission to Saturn since 2007. Currently a visitor at Southwest Research Institute, she has been enjoying the past year living in the mountains above Boulder, Colorado.