The Cassini spacecraf's recent close flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus has produced a wealth of new information. Images show the little moon's remarkable geysers originate in the so-called "tiger stripes" on the surface-- fractures in the ice that are 980 feet deep, cutting into the moon in a steep V shape. The geysers explode into space from the bottom of the fractures. Deposits along the sides of the fractures indicates some of the water vapor in the geysers falls back to the surface and creates icy hills.
Further analysis of the data and the process could allow scientists to determine whether an ocean of liquid water that could support some kind of life exists under the icy surface.
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