Enceladus plumes
Date: 29 March 2012
Satellite: Cassini
Depicts: Enceladus
Copyright: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
The international Cassini spacecraft was on its way to its lowest pass yet over the south polar region of Saturn's moon Enceladus when it took this image of the impressive plumes.
The plumes are jets of water ice and vapour, mixed with organic compounds. With this flyby coming within a mere 74 km, scientists hope to learn more about the composition, density and variability of these remarkable features of Enceladus.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
