This topic contains a solution. Click here to go to the answer

Author Question: Most small moons tend to be old and geologically inactive. Explain why Enceladus appears to break ... (Read 136 times)

Mollykgkg

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 529
Most small moons tend to be old and geologically inactive. Explain why Enceladus appears to break that general rule.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Describe the ring system of Saturn.
 
  What will be an ideal response?



Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question
Marked as best answer by a Subject Expert

AISCAMPING

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 347
Answer to Question 1

The smaller moons of Saturn are icy worlds battered by impact craters, and you can suspect that they are cold and old. Small worlds lose their heat quickly, and with no internal heat, there is no geological activity to erase impact craters. A small, icy world covered with craters is exactly what you would expect in the outer solar system. Enceladus, however, is peculiar. Although it is small and icy, its surface is highly reflective, and some areas contain fewer craters than you would expect. In fact, some regions seem almost free of craters. Grooves and faults mark some regions of the little moon and suggest motion in the crust. These features should have been destroyed long ago by impact cratering, so you must suppose that the moon has been geologically active at some time since the end of the heavy bombardment at the conclusion of planet building. The water vents discovered at the south pole of Enceladus show the moon is still active.

Answer to Question 2

The brilliant rings of Saturn are made up of billions of ice particles ranging from microscopic specks to chunks bigger than a house. Each particle orbits Saturn in its own circular orbit. From Earth, astronomers see three rings labeled A, B, and C. Voyager and Cassini images reveal over a thousand ringlets within the rings. The C ring contains boulder-size chunks of ice, whereas most particles in the A and B rings are more golf-ball size, down to dust-size ice crystals. Furthermore, C ring particles are less than half as bright as particles in the A and B rings. Cassini observations show that the C ring particles contain less ice and more minerals. The F ring is clumpy and sometimes appears braided
due of two shepherd satellites. The Encke Gap is not empty. A small moon orbits inside the gap.





 

Did you know?

People with alcoholism are at a much greater risk of malnutrition than are other people and usually exhibit low levels of most vitamins (especially folic acid). This is because alcohol often takes the place of 50% of their daily intake of calories, with little nutritional value contained in it.

Did you know?

A recent study has found that following a diet rich in berries may slow down the aging process of the brain. This diet apparently helps to keep dopamine levels much higher than are seen in normal individuals who do not eat berries as a regular part of their diet as they enter their later years.

Did you know?

People often find it difficult to accept the idea that bacteria can be beneficial and improve health. Lactic acid bacteria are good, and when eaten, these bacteria improve health and increase longevity. These bacteria included in foods such as yogurt.

Did you know?

The average office desk has 400 times more bacteria on it than a toilet.

Did you know?

Asthma occurs in one in 11 children and in one in 12 adults. African Americans and Latinos have a higher risk for developing asthma than other groups.

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library