Enceladus
A small moon with icy fountains
Enceladus is a small, bright moon of Saturn. Ice covers its surface and reflects sunlight well, making it look like a little snowball. Near its south pole, something amazing happens. Jets of water vapour and tiny ice particles burst from long cracks. These space fountains reach far above the surface.
Scientists discovered an ocean beneath Enceladus’s icy shell. Cassini flew through the sprayed particles and studied what they contained. This gives clues about the hidden water without drilling through the ice. Researchers look for conditions that could support life, but life itself has not been found here. This small moon still holds many mysteries.
Help Enceladus get home → Explore in the planetarium →In the planetarium you can spin this world and look at it from every side.
Artist’s impression · the surface is an illustration.
Sources and images
Celestial maps: Solar System Scope / INOVE · CC BY 4.0. Thumbnails were reduced and shaded. Artistic SVG maps were created for this project.