Saturn's moon energy source

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pstanley55@hotmail.com - 13 Jul 2008 11:42 GMT

OK, Gurus, what do you think of this?

Probably old news, but a show on Cassini reported that a moon on
Saturn (Phoebe?) was emitting liquid/gas water at one of its poles.
Apparently the heat necessary to keep this water from being ice was
perhaps from the gravitational flexing of the moon in it's highly
elliptical orbit.

Just wondering, if this energy from flexing is seriously considered
the likely source of the energy? Have we seen this in other moons in
our solar system?

Stan

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N:dlzc D:aol T:com (dlzc) - 13 Jul 2008 16:18 GMT

Dear pstanley55:

> OK, Gurus, what do you think of this?

...

> Just wondering, if this energy from flexing is
> seriously considered the likely source of the
> energy?

Too light to be nuclear. Could be off-site meeting rooms for
Congress...

> Have we seen this in other moons in
> our solar system?

Yes. Jupiter and Neptune too:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg16422132.800-moon-fires-jets-at-jupiter.html
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE7D7113EF934A35751C1A96F948260
... "ice volcanos"

David A. Smith

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chosp - 13 Jul 2008 16:21 GMT

> OK, Gurus, what do you think of this?
>
> Probably old news, but a show on Cassini reported that a moon on
> Saturn (Phoebe?)

Enceledus.

> was emitting liquid/gas water at one of its poles.
> Apparently the heat necessary to keep this water from being ice was
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> Just wondering, if this energy from flexing is seriously considered
> the likely source of the energy?

Yes.

Have we seen this in other moons in

> our solar system?

Yes. Most notably Jupiter's moon Io - which is the
most geologically active body known in the solar system.
It is completely resurfacing itself.
The cause is understood to be tidal flexing.

> Stan

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BradGuth - 14 Jul 2008 00:34 GMT

> <pstanle...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>
[quoted text clipped - 27 lines]
>
> > Stan

And supposedly our Selene/moon doesn't receive or otherwise deliver
any of that tidal flexing, such as to the ongoing tune of having 2e20
N/sec to work with?

- Brad Guth Brad_Guth Brad.Guth BradGuth

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pstanley55@hotmail.com - 16 Jul 2008 10:30 GMT

>> Probably old news, but a show on Cassini reported that a moon on
>> Saturn (Phoebe?)
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>> perhaps from the gravitational flexing of the moon in it's highly
>> elliptical orbit.

>The cause is understood to be tidal flexing.

Thanks "chosp" and Mr Smith. This energy to flex, squeeze, stretch
and heat these moons, can we assume it is taken out of the orbital
energy, and so these moons will find their orbit decaying? Any
calculations on how much decay?

Or does it come from some other source?

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Space Forum / Astronomy / July 2008

Saturn's moon energy source