Planetary Science Seminar

Abstract: Enceladus's plume indicates a subsurface ocean, but its current heating rate is far less than enough to maintain water liquid. We propose that it was heated up when it was deep in mean motion resonance with Dione. Although it has already retreated from large depth in resonance, its historical heat still supports a subsurface ocean, producing plumes on its south pole. Enceladus underwent many heating-cooling cycles, which is made possible by co-evolution of its internal structure and orbital dynamics.