Mysterious straight bright stripes have been discovered on Saturn's moon Dione, says research by Planetary Science Institute Associate Research Scientist Alex Patthoff.

The origins of these linear virgae (virgae meaning a stripe or streak of color) are most likely caused by the draping of surface materials like material from Saturn's rings, passing comets, or co-orbital moons Helene and Polydeuces.

"The evidence preserved in the linear virgae has implications for the orbital evolution and impact processes within the Saturnian system," Patthoff said. "Plus, the interaction of Dione's surface and exogenic material has implications for its habitability and provides evidence for the delivery of ingredients that may contribute to the habitably of ocean worlds in general."

Patthoff and Emily S. Martin of the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, are co-authors on a new paper "Mysterious Linear Features Across Saturn's Moon Dione" that appears in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. They studied images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which also revealed similar features on Saturn's moon Rhea.

Dione's linear virgae are generally long (10 to 100s of kilometers), narrow (less than 5 kilometers) and brighter than the surrounding terrains. The stripes are parallel, appear to overlie other features and are unaffected by topography, suggesting they are among the youngest surfaces on Dione.

"Their orientation, parallel to the equator, and linearity are unlike anything else we've seen in the solar system," Patthoff said. "If they are caused by an exogenic source, that could be another means to bring new material to Dione. That material could have implications for the biological potential of Dione's subsurface ocean."

Research Report: "Mysterious Linear Features Across Saturn's Moon Dione," Emily S. Martin and D. Alex Patthoff, 2018 Oct. 15, Geophysical Research Letters

Related Links
Planetary Science Institute
Explore The Ring World of Saturn and her moons
Jupiter and its Moons
The million outer planets of a star called Sol
News Flash at Mercury

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Surprising chemical complexity of Saturn's rings changing planet's upper atmosphere
Lawrence KS (SPX) Oct 11, 2018
Political humorist Mark Russel once joked, "The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage." Well, there's no luggage, it turns out. But a new study appearing in Science based on data from the final orbits last year of NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows the rings of Saturn - some of the most visually stupendous objects in the universe - are far more chemically complicated than previously was understood. Furthermore, the paper shows th ... read more