A Year of Extraterrestrial Fountains and Flows
Explanation:
The past year was extraordinary for the discovery of extraterrestrial
fountains and flows
-- some offering new potential in the search for liquid water and the origin
of life beyond planet Earth..
Increased evidence was uncovered that
fountains spurt not only from
Saturn's moon Enceladus, but from the
dunes of Mars as well.
Lakes were found on
Saturn's moon Titan, and the residual of a
flowing liquid was discovered on the
walls of Martian craters.
The diverse
Solar System
fluidity may involve forms of slushy water-ice,
methane, or
sublimating
carbon
dioxide.
Pictured
above, the
light-colored path below the image center is hypothesized
to have been created sometime in just the past few years by
liquid water flowing across the surface of
Mars.
APOD Editor to Discuss "Best of APOD
2006" Pictures in NYC on January 5
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
