How Enceladus Got Its Stripes

Saturn's moon Enceladus has a pole covered in stripes. Why are they only found in the South Pole and what does that mean for the potential liquid water ocean under its icy crust?

Rocky Planet iconRocky Planet
By Erik Klemetti
Jun 30, 2020 1:00 PMJun 30, 2020 9:37 PM
Enceladus
A view of Enceladus, the moon of Saturn, taken by Cassini. Credit: NASA/JPL

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Few moons in the solar system engender so much excitement as Saturn’s tiny Enceladus. It likely harbors a liquid water ocean beneath a crust of ice. That crust isn’t thick enough in some places to completely seal away that liquid and jets of ice were spotted by NASA’s Cassini orbiter during its tenure spinning around Saturn. Enceladus' icy crust isn't the same across the whole moon, either. The southern polar region is covered in cracks dubbed "tiger stripes" and appears much younger than the rest of the moon. What causes this stark difference across such a small object?

Tiny Moon, Big Stress

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