Saturn Moon Enceladus
Enceladus
Enceladus Cassini image of the geologically active moon

Enceladus Fissures
Enceladus Fissures Fissures erupting with ice particles at Enceladus's south pole
Enceladus Facts
  • Enceladus is the second moon in distance from Saturn.
  • It is only 311 miles (500 km) in diameter, the sixth largest of Saturn's moons.
  • It orbits around Saturn every 1.37 days at an average distance of 148,000 miles (238,000 km).
  • It is believed that Saturn's gravity impacts tremendous tidal forces on Enceladus turning a layer of its subsurface into liquid.
  • The "tiger stripes" at its south pole are fissures which erupt with warm ice.
  • Ice erupting from Enceladus travels at over 800 miles (1300 km) an hour travelling thousands of miles into space.
  • The eruptions of ice from Enceladus make up Saturn's outer ring.
  • Enceladus reflects 100% of the light it receives.
  • The surface area of Enceladus is only 15% larger than Texas.
  • Enceladus was discovered in 1789 by the British astronomer William Herschel.

Enceladus Surface
Enceladus has several different types of terrain. Parts of the moon are cratered but other areas are smooth indicating a young, geologically active surface. There are also fissures, plains and crustal deformations.

Enceladus Atmosphere
Enceladus has an extremely thin atmosphere consisting mainly of water vapor. The moon is far too small to hold on to its own atmosphere so it's guessed it is being constantly replenished by eruptions of ice from its surface.

Enceladus Temperature
As a result of reflecting so much light, surface temperatures on Enceladus are on average around -201C (-330F).
Origin of Name and Life
enceladus tiger stripes
Surface fractures, nicknamed "the tiger stripes"

Origin of Name
Enceladus was named after a giant from Greek mythology.

Life on Enceladus
It is thought that Enceladus harbors a salt water ocean under its frozen surface. If so it would be one of the more promising places in the solar system where life could exist.

Images & Video
Enceladus Fissures (Artist impression)
enceladus fissures
Enceladus Flyby
Cryovolcanic Plumes
Enceladus Volcanic Plume
Future and Past Missions to Enceladus
Titan Saturn System Mission
Titan Saturn System Mission Launch: 2020
Agency: NASA/ESA
Although TSSM's mission is to primarily study Titan it will also make at least seven flybys of Enceladus studying the unusual cryovolcanic plumes at the moon's south pole.
Cassini-Huygens
cassini-huygens Launch: October 1997
Arrival: July 2004
Agency: NASA/ESA (Europe)
Cassini has made numerous flybys of Enceladus with more planned. These have yielded valuable information, none more so than the discovery of water ice erupting from its geologically active south pole. Further study of the plumes uncovered the presence of sodium around the area opening up the possibility of a salt water ocean underneath its surface.
Voyager 1 and 2
Voyager 2 Launch: August-September 1977
Arrival: November 1980-August 1981
Agency: NASA
Voyager 1 made a successful flyby of Enceladus in November 1980 over 125,000 miles (200,000 km) from the small moon. Due to the distance it wasn't able to capture great images although it did reveal a highly reflective surface and an absence of craters. Nearly a year later Voyager 2 passed much closer sending back high resolution pictures revealing the variety of terrains the moon possessed.