The Cryovolcanic Volume Knob on Enceladus

Disclaimer: I'm not a scientist, I could be wrong, NASA (my source for all my information on Enceladus) could be wrong (far less likely), and I don't have a background in math or physics. That being said, these conclusions are very simple, very conservative, and I have good reason to believe based on our current data that they're true. Please do not hesitate to tear my argument to shreds if you see an error in my reasoning.

Enceladus is the next moon I'm studying for my thesis on the acoustic atmospheres of Saturn's moons, and it is probably the most acoustically interesting I've come across.

But to understand why it's interesting, I first had to understand the dynamics of its atmosphere. Atmosphere is relevant to acoustics becuase it is the medium through which sound waves propagate. But without enough gravity, those molecules (just like a person, a rock, or Yoda) wouldn't stay on the surface long. So gravity and the presence of an atmosphere are related (depending on a few other factors).

In general, the bigger the planet the bigger the gravitational pull. And enceladus is SMALL. Like, Arizona-sized small. Not-big-enough-to-hold-onto-an-atmosphere small.

So why, oh why on Enceladus, do I think sound might be able to travel on this planet if it can't have a dense enough atmosphere?

Becuase, as Cassini tells us, turns out it does.

Ice volcanoes might shoot water molecules into the air at 500 meters per second from a liquid ocean under the surface.

The water molecules create a temporary atmosphere what escapes the planet to form one of Saturn's E-ring in a process called hydrodynamic escape. Temporary atmosphere, in the context of my project, means sound!

The reason this celestial body is giving me acoustic goose-bumps is becuase If NASA and Cassini were correct that geysers are the source of the atmosphere, and that the atmosphere is transient becuase of the gravity of the moon, then the way sound behaves on the planet would be variable: Enceladus would essentially have a CRYOVOLCANIC VOLUME KNOB

So I did some calculations to try and figure out for how long the atmosphere would stay on the planet and it turns out the physics of hydrodynamic escape are (surprisingly) not something a 21 year old art student can figure out from 8:30-11 on a Wednesday morning. I'm in the process of reaching out to a scientist now. I'll keep you posted.