NASA’s Cassini probe has been exploring the Saturn system for almost a decade. In that time, it has fundamentally changed the way we look at the Ringed Planet and its many moons – not to mention the rest of our solar system. But which of its observations rank among Cassini’s greatest contributions to science?
https://gizmodo.com/this-stunning-view-of-saturn-will-restore-your-sense-of-1447208074
https://gizmodo.com/new-hi-res-footage-shows-saturns-mysterious-hexagon-li-1477023365
https://gizmodo.com/here-is-a-gorgeous-view-of-venus-from-saturn-5988464
In this interview with Universe Today, Cassini scientist and movie-consultant Kevin Grazier discusses the mission’s most groundbreaking discoveries. His top picks? The discovery of active venting on Enceladus (and, more specifically, that that active venting has a direct impact on the composition of Saturn).
https://gizmodo.com/ask-the-science-advisor-of-gravity-kevin-grazier-anyt-1444946378
https://gizmodo.com/the-moon-enceladus-rains-down-water-on-saturn-5824879
“That’s pretty exciting,” he explains, “because we see an active object venting material… [and] there aren’t a lot of active objects in the solar system.”
Another biggie that Grazier singles out: the presence of water and other hydrocarbons on and beneath the surface of Titan, not to mention the possible existence of volcanism – and, consequently, life – on the mysterious moon.
https://gizmodo.com/nasa-finds-hidden-ocean-on-saturns-moon-titan-5920940
https://gizmodo.com/feast-your-eyes-on-the-first-global-topographical-map-o-509557071
“How cool is that… how science fiction-y is that, that one of the most interesting places to look [in the solar system] is a lava chamber or a magma chamber on another planet that could be a cauldron suitable for sustaining life,” says Grazier. “I think that’s really, really exciting.”
Here, here.
