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Science 10 March 2006:
Vol. 311. no. 5766, pp. 1406 - 1409
DOI: 10.1126/science.1120985
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Reports

Identification of a Dynamic Atmosphere at Enceladus with the Cassini Magnetometer

M. K. Dougherty,1* K. K. Khurana,2 F. M. Neubauer,3 C. T. Russell,2 J. Saur,3 J. S. Leisner,2 M. E. Burton4

The Cassini magnetometer has detected the interaction of the magnetospheric plasma of Saturn with an atmospheric plume at the icy moon Enceladus. This unanticipated finding, made on a distant flyby, was subsequently confirmed during two follow-on flybys, one very close to Enceladus. The magnetometer data are consistent with local outgassing activity via a plume from the surface of the moon near its south pole, as confirmed by other Cassini instruments.

1 Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
2 Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90025, USA.
3 Institute for Geophysics and Meteorology, Köln University, 50923 Köln, Germany.
4 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: m.dougherty{at}imperial.ac.uk

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
The Variable Rotation Period of the Inner Region of Saturn's Plasma Disk.
D. A. Gurnett, A. M. Persoon, W. S. Kurth, J. B. Groene, T. F. Averkamp, M. K. Dougherty, and D. J. Southwood (2007)
Science 316, 442-445
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Enceladus: cosmic gymnast, volatile miniworld..
J. S. Kargel (2006)
Science 311, 1389-1391
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Does Enceladus govern magnetospheric dynamics at Saturn?.
M. G. Kivelson (2006)
Science 311, 1391-1392
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Cassini observes the active south pole of Enceladus..
C. C. Porco, P. Helfenstein, P. C. Thomas, A. P. Ingersoll, J. Wisdom, R. West, G. Neukum, T. Denk, R. Wagner, T. Roatsch, et al. (2006)
Science 311, 1393-1401
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Cassini encounters Enceladus: background and the discovery of a south polar hot spot..
J. R. Spencer, J. C. Pearl, M. Segura, F. M. Flasar, A. Mamoutkine, P. Romani, B. J. Buratti, A. R. Hendrix, L. J. Spilker, and R. M. C. Lopes (2006)
Science 311, 1401-1405
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
The interaction of the atmosphere of Enceladus with Saturn's plasma..
R. L. Tokar, R. E. Johnson, T. W. Hill, D. H. Pontius, W. S. Kurth, F. J. Crary, D. T. Young, M. F. Thomsen, D. B. Reisenfeld, A. J. Coates, et al. (2006)
Science 311, 1409-1412
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Enceladus' varying imprint on the magnetosphere of Saturn..
G. H. Jones, E. Roussos, N. Krupp, C. Paranicas, J. Woch, A. Lagg, D. G. Mitchell, S. M. Krimigis, and M. K. Dougherty (2006)
Science 311, 1412-1415
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Cassini dust measurements at Enceladus and implications for the origin of the E ring..
F. Spahn, J. Schmidt, N. Albers, M. Horning, M. Makuch, M. Seiss, S. Kempf, R. Srama, V. Dikarev, S. Helfert, et al. (2006)
Science 311, 1416-1418
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Enceladus' water vapor plume..
C. J. Hansen, L. Esposito, A. I. F. Stewart, J. Colwell, A. Hendrix, W. Pryor, D. Shemansky, and R. West (2006)
Science 311, 1422-1425
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Composition and physical properties of Enceladus' surface..
R. H. Brown, R. N. Clark, B. J. Buratti, D. P. Cruikshank, J. W. Barnes, R. M. E. Mastrapa, J. Bauer, S. Newman, T. Momary, K. H. Baines, et al. (2006)
Science 311, 1425-1428
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