Å®ÉúСÊÓƵ

AN ELECTRICAL current is flowing from Saturn’s moon Enceladus to the ringed planet, creating a glowing patch in the planet’s atmosphere.

Ultraviolet images taken by the Cassini spacecraft revealed the patch, which is distinct from the planet’s auroras. It lies near Saturn’s north pole – exactly where electrons emitted by Enceladus would hit after being chanelled along the planet’s magnetic field lines, report of Central Arizona College in Coolidge and colleagues (Nature, ).

Where do the electrons come from? The team believes that sunlight knocks them off water molecules spewed by geysers at Enceladus’s south pole.

The brightness of the patch varies, which could be due to variations in the amount of water vapour released by Enceladus, says the team.