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Transition on Enceladus
Description Transition on Enceladus
Full Description This view of Saturn's moon Enceladus shows an area that has undergone a very intriguing -- and in places puzzling -- sequence of events. The craters here are subdued, as seen elsewhere on Enceladus, and most, but not all, are older than the fractures. Fracturing has occurred at a wide variety of scales, from the wide rift running through the center of the image to much narrower sets of shorter fractures that crosscut the craters (and each other) to the left. The image has been rotated so that north on Enceladus is up. This region is a transition from cratered to wrinkled terrain. Westward (left) of the central rift that divides the two regions are relatively parallel grooves and ridges that are reminiscent of terrain on Jupiter's large moon Ganymede. Very few craters are seen in this area of Enceladus. Eastward (right) of the large rift the terrain becomes more cratered, although the craters are quite degraded (meaning soft and shallow in appearance). A prominent fracture runs north-south to the center of the image, then turns sharply to the southwest, cutting across cratered terrain, the large rift, and the grooved terrain. This behavior signifies that it is one of the youngest features in this image. The image was taken in visible light with the narrow angle camera from a distance of about 14,000 kilometers (8,800 miles) and from Enceladus and at a Sun-Enceladus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 44 degrees. Pixel scale in the image is about 85 meters (280 feet) per pixel. A stereo anaglyph version of the scene is also available (see Transition on Enceladus (3-D)). The images have been contrast-enhanced to aid visibility. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . For additional images visit the Cassini imaging team homepage http://ciclops.org . *Credit:* NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date March 24, 2005
A Folded Surface
Description A Folded Surface
Full Description The wrinkled border of Enceladus' south polar region snakes across this view, separating fresher, younger terrain from more ancient, cratered provinces. This is the region of Enceladus (505 kilometers, or 314 miles across) that is known to be presently geologically active. At right are clearly visible ridges and troughs thought to be caused by compressional stresses across the icy surface. The image was taken in polarized green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Sept. 9, 2006 at a distance of approximately 66,000 kilometers (41,000 miles) from Enceladus and at a Sun-Enceladus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 104 degrees. Image scale is 396 meters (1,300 feet) per pixel. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date October 4, 2006
Enceladus: Trailing Hemisphe …
Description Enceladus: Trailing Hemisphere
Full Description A variety of surface ages is revealed in this 16-image mosaic taken during Cassini's first close flyby of Enceladus, on Feb. 17, 2005. This mosaic shows the trailing hemisphere of Enceladus -- the side of Enceladus that always faces away from the direction of the satellite's orbital motion. This hemisphere is dominated by Sarandib Planitia (just right of center), a region thought to be dominated by smooth plains in NASA Voyager 2 images taken in August 1981, but shown here in much higher resolution images to be covered in low ridges and troughs. Other major features seen in the region include Labtayt Sulci, a 1-kilometer- (0.6-mile-) deep canyon running northward from a cusp in the south polar terrain boundary (Cashmere Sulci) at lower right to a set of 1-kilometer-tall ridges (Cufa Dorsa and Ebony Dorsum) east of Sarandib Planitia (also seen in Enceladus Mosaic), as well as Samarkand Sulci, a band of ridges and troughs running along the western margin of Sarandib Planitia almost all the way north to Enceladus' north pole. In contrast to the youthful terrain of Sarandib Planitia and the terrain south of it, the terrain north and west of Sarandib appears much older. These regions are covered with impact craters at various stages of degradation, either from viscous relaxation (which causes the craters to flatten over time), or from tectonic activity. To create this single full-disk mosaic, the 16 images were reprojected into an orthographic projection centered at 2.3 degrees north latitude, 317.7 degrees west longitude with a pixel scale of 63 meters (207 feet) per pixel. The original images were taken by the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle and wide-angle cameras from distances ranging from 10,850 to 29,750 kilometers (6,740 to 18,490 miles). The images had a phase, or sun-Enceladus-spacecraft, angle of 28 degrees. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date December 29, 2006
Fractured World
Description Fractured World
Full Description Numerous blue-green fractures can be seen in this false-color mosaic taken during Cassini's second close flyby of Enceladus, on March 9, 2005. The mosaic shows the anti-Saturnian hemisphere of Enceladus -- the side that always faces away from Saturn. This region contains a number of tectonic and impact features and shows how these two geologic forces interact on Enceladus. The center left portion of this mosaic is dominated by Diyar Planitia. Like Sarandib Planitia observed in the previous Enceladus flyby, the region is characterized by low ridges and troughs. Throughout this hemisphere, fractures of all sizes disrupt the previously existing cratered terrain and even the comparatively youthful Diyar Planitia. Many of the younger fractures have blue-green walls, revealing coarse-grained water ice in the top layers of Enceladus' lithosphere, compared to the fine-grained ice that coats much of Enceladus' surface. The blue-green color is very similar to the coatings surrounding the south polar 'tiger stripes' (these appear greener than the features in the south polar mosaic released in 2005 (see Enceladus the Storyteller) due to the use of clear-filter images, instead of green, in that mosaic). A higher resolution cropped section of this mosaic is available in Exploring Icy Canyons. This mosaic consists of 25 false-color footprints (75 images total) taken by the Cassini spacecraft's narrow-angle camera. The mosaic uses an ultraviolet filter centered at 338 nanometers for blue, a green filter centered at 568 nanometers for green and a near-infrared filter centered at 930 nanometers for red--thus covering a wider spectrum region than the human eye. To create a single, full-disk mosaic, the images were reprojected into an orthographic projection centered at 1.5 degrees south latitude, 204 degrees west longitude with a pixel scale of 90 meters (295 feet) per pixel. The black strip seen at the top of the mosaic is an unfilled seam between two images. The original images were taken from distances ranging from 4,300 to 31,800 kilometers (2,670 to 19,760 miles). The images have a phase, or sun-Enceladus-spacecraft, angle of 45 degrees. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date December 29, 2006
Exploring Icy Canyons
Description Exploring Icy Canyons
Full Description Fine topographic detail and color variations are revealed in this 11-image, false color mosaic taken during Cassini's second close flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus, on March 9, 2005. This mosaic, a high-resolution cropped section of the full-disk mosaic available in Fractured World, shows the center of the anti-Saturnian hemisphere of Enceladus -- the side of Enceladus that always faces away from Saturn. The left portion of the mosaic is dominated by Diyar Planitia. Like Sarandib Planitia, observed in the previous Enceladus flyby of February 2005, the region is characterized by low ridges and troughs. Throughout this region, fractures of all sizes cut across Diyar Planitia and the older, cratered terrain at center and right. Many of the younger fractures have blue-green walls, revealing coarse-grained water ice in the top layers of Enceladus' lithosphere, compared to the fine-grained ice that coats much of Enceladus' surface. The blue-green color is very similar to the coatings of the south polar "tiger stripes." The color here is greener than the features in the south polar mosaic released in 2005 (see Enceladus the Storyteller) due to the use of clear-filter images, instead of green, in the latter mosaic. This mosaic consists of 11 false-color footprints (33 images total) taken by the Cassini spacecraft's narrow-angle camera. The mosaic uses an ultraviolet filter centered at 338 nanometers for blue, a green filter centered at 568 nanometers for green and a near-infrared filter centered at 930 nanometers for red, thus covering a wider spectrum region than the human eye. To create a single mosaic, the images were reprojected into an orthographic projection with a pixel scale of 45 meters per pixel. The region is centered at 3.9 degrees north latitude, 208.9 degrees west longitude and covers an area 233 kilometers (145 miles) by 154 kilometers (96 miles) in size. The original images were taken by the Cassini spacecraft's narrow-angle camera from distances ranging from 4,300 to 27,050 kilometers (2,670 to 16,810 miles). The images have a phase, or sun-Enceladus-spacecraft, angle of 45 degrees. Image scale is 45 meters (150 feet) per pixel. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date December 29, 2006
A Pearl at Dusk
Description Enceladus hangs like a single bright pearl against the golden-brown canvas of Saturn and its icy rings.
Full Description Enceladus hangs like a single bright pearl against the golden-brown canvas of Saturn and its icy rings. Visible on Saturn is the region where daylight gives way to dusk. Above, the rings throw thin shadows onto the planet. Icy Enceladus is 505 kilometers (314 miles) across. Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create this natural color view. The images were taken using the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Jan. 17, 2006 at a distance of approximately 200,000 kilometers (100,000 miles) from Enceladus. The image scale is 10 kilometers (6 miles) per pixel. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . *Credit:* NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date March 7, 2006
Fountains of Enceladus
Description Fountains of Enceladus
Full Description Recent Cassini images of Saturn's moon Enceladus backlit by the sun show the fountain-like sources of the fine spray of material that towers over the south polar region. This image was taken looking more or less broadside at the "tiger stripe" fractures observed in earlier Enceladus images. It shows discrete plumes of a variety of apparent sizes above the limb (edge) of the moon. Imaging scientists, as reported in the journal Science on March 10, 2006, believe that the jets are geysers erupting from pressurized subsurface reservoirs of liquid water above 273 degrees Kelvin (0 degrees Celsius). This caption was updated on March 9, 2006. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . *Credit:* NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date November 28, 2005
Enceladus: North and South ( …
Description Enceladus: North and South (Southern Polar Projection)
Full Description The southern hemisphere of Enceladus is seen in this polar stereographic map, mosaicked from the best-available Cassini and Voyager clear-filter images. The map is centered on the south pole and surface coverage extends to the equator. Gridlines show latitude and longitude in 30-degree increments. This map is being released along with a northern polar projection map (See Enceladus: North and South Projection (Northern Polar Projection). These two maps show that the character of terrains near the north pole differs strongly from those near the south pole. Terrain near the north pole is among the most heavily cratered and oldest on the surface of Enceladus. The northern hemisphere map shows that a broad band of cratered terrain extends from the equator on the Saturn-facing side (centered on 0-degrees longitude), over the pole and to the equator on the anti-Saturn side (centered on 180-degrees longitude). Terrains near the equator and mid-latitudes on the leading (90 degrees West) and trailing (270 degrees West) sides of Enceladus are much less heavily cratered and are characterized by intense zones of fracturing and faulting. As seen in this southern hemisphere map, the band of cratered terrain at 0 and 180 degrees longitude extends southward from the equator. However, poleward of about 55 degrees south latitude, the cratered terrain is interrupted and replaced by a conspicuously fractured terrain around the pole that is nearly devoid of impact craters. In contrast to the very old north polar terrain, the southern polar terrain is among the youngest on the surface of Enceladus. Within the southern polar region is a group of prominent parallel "stripes" made up of fractures that are delineated by relatively dark reflective (albedo) markings flanking the sides of each fracture. An interesting property of the parallel fracture system is that each appears to turn back at its westernmost segment as if it has been "bent" or "folded" into a hook-like curve. Similar patterns of folded or kinked fractures can be found throughout the region -- a unique feature of the south polar terrains. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date August 30, 2005
Enceladus in False Color
Description Enceladus in False Color
Full Description As Cassini approached the intriguing ice world of Enceladus for its extremely close flyby on July 14, 2005, the spacecraft obtained images in several wavelengths that were used to create this false-color composite view. The surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus shows a range of crater ages, including regions that have very few discernable craters at Cassini's resolution. This observation indicates that there have been multiple episodes of activity on Enceladus spread over some fraction of its history. The resurfacing mechanism appears to be dominated by tectonic fracturing. As of yet, there is no clear evidence for release of liquid to the surface in either icy volcanic flows or geysers. The south polar region (seen here at the lower right) has a distinctive tectonic structure that sets it apart from the rest of the satellite. Its outer boundary is marked by a series of pronounced tectonic "gashes" that form a hoop-like boundary, near 60 degrees south latitude. In this image, this fault zone forms the transition region from the presumably older, cratered terrain in the north to the younger, nearly crater-free region in the south. This false-color view is a composite of individual frames obtained using filters sensitive to ultraviolet (centered at 338 nanometers), green (centered at 568 nanometers) and infrared light (centered at 752 nanometers). The view has been enhanced to accentuate subtle color differences and fine-scale surface features. The Sun illuminates Enceladus from the lower left, leaving part of the moon in shadow. This view shows the anti-Saturn hemisphere, centered at 42 degrees south latitude, 167 west longitude. The images comprising this view were taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera at a distance of about 112,100 kilometers (69,700 miles) from Enceladus, and at a Sun-Enceladus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 46 degrees. The image scale is about 670 meters (2,200 feet) per pixel. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . *Credit:* NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date July 25, 2005
Cracked Face of Enceladus
Description Cracked Face of Enceladus
Full Description The finest details on the surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus are revealed in this 30-meter (100-foot) per-pixel, enhanced-color image taken during Cassini's closest-ever encounter with Enceladus on March 9, 2005. The surface of Enceladus is almost uniformly white and even though the natural color of this scene has been exaggerated in intensity, no obvious departure from the uniform hue is apparent. The image was also processed to enhance contrast while avoid saturation of the brightest parts of the scene. Hence, the surface does not have the brightness of fresh snow, as it would appear to the human eye. The Sun is illuminating the surface from the left of the image and at a low enough angle that the rugged ridge crests near upper left (which range in height from 50 to 100 meters or 164 to 328 feet) cast dramatic shadows, as at the top center of the image. The origin of the very small dark spots in the ridged terrain is uncertain. They could be shadows cast by small, building-sized outcrops (approximately 60-meter or 200-feett high) just at the limits of resolution. Intriguingly, the craters in this scene are quite subdued, indicating that they have been degraded by some process. The craters clearly predate most of the fractures. Additionally, multiple sets of fractures running in different directions can be seen. One set above the lower right has a gentle appearance similar to that of the craters. In contrast, the fractures running along the left are fresher. By studying differences in the morphology and patterns of the fractures, scientists will be able to learn about Enceladus' crust and how it, and geologic processes acting within it, have changed over time. Images obtained using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create this view. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera at a distance of approximately 5,200 kilometers (3,200 miles) from Enceladus and at a Sun-Enceladus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 39 degrees. The scene is centered on a region at -3 degrees latitude and 218 degrees longitude. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . For additional images visit the Cassini imaging team homepage http://ciclops.org . *Credit:* NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date March 16, 2005
Enceladus the Storyteller
Description A masterpiece of deep time and wrenching gravity, the tortured surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus and its fascinating ongoing geologic activity tell the story of the ancient and present struggles of one tiny world.
Full Description A masterpiece of deep time and wrenching gravity, the tortured surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus and its fascinating ongoing geologic activity tell the story of the ancient and present struggles of one tiny world. This is a story that is recounted by imaging scientists in a paper published in the journal Science on March 10, 2006. The enhanced color view of Enceladus seen here is largely of the southern hemisphere and includes the south polar terrain at the bottom of the image. Ancient craters remain somewhat pristine in some locales, but have clearly relaxed in others. Northward-trending fractures, likely caused by a change in the moon's rate of rotation and the consequent flattening of the moon's shape, rip across the southern hemisphere. The south polar terrain is marked by a striking set of 'blue' fractures and encircled by a conspicuous and continuous chain of folds and ridges, testament to the forces within Enceladus that have yet to be silenced. The mosaic was created from 21 false-color frames taken during the Cassini spacecraft's close approaches to Enceladus on March 9 and July 14, 2005. Images taken using filters sensitive to ultraviolet, visible and infrared light (spanning wavelengths from 338 to 930 nanometers) were combined to create the individual frames. The mosaic is an orthographic projection centered at 46.8 degrees south latitude, 188 degrees west longitude, and has an image scale of 67 meters (220 feet) per pixel. The original images ranged in resolution from 67 meters per pixel to 350 meters (1,150 feet) per pixel and were taken at distances ranging from 11,100 to 61,300 kilometers (6,900 to miles) from Enceladus. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . *Credit:* NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date March 9, 2006
Stressed-out Enceladus (3-D)
Description Stressed-out Enceladus (3-D)
Full Description This high-resolution stereo anaglyph of Saturn's moon Enceladus shows a region of craters softened by time and torn apart by tectonic stresses. Fractures 100 to 400 meters (330 to 1,300 feet) in width crosscut the terrain: One set trends northeast-southwest and another trends northwest-southeast. North is up. A region of "grooved terrain" is visible on the left. A broad canyon, its floor partly concealed by shadow, is notable on the right. The images for this anaglyph were taken in visible light with Cassini's narrow-angle camera at distances from Enceladus ranging from about 25,700 kilometers (16,000 miles, red-colored image) to 5,200 kilometers (3,300 miles, blue-colored image) and at a Sun-Enceladus-spacecraft, or phase, angle ranging from 46 to 39 degrees. Pixel scale in the red image was 150 meters (490 feet) per pixel. Scale in the blue image was 30 meters (100 feet) per pixel. A separate, non-stereo version of the scene, showing only the more-distant image, is also available (see Stressed-out Enceladus). The images have been contrast-enhanced to aid visibility. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . For additional images visit the Cassini imaging team homepage http://ciclops.org . *Credit:* NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date March 24, 2005
Enceladus roll
Description Enceladus roll
Full Description This graphic illustrates the interior of Saturn's moon Enceladus. It shows warm, low-density material rising to the surface from within, in its icy shell (yellow) and/or its rocky core (red). A NASA-funded study says Enceladus might have rolled or rotated itself to place this area of low density at the south pole. This finding is in the June 1, 2006, issue of the journal Nature. This graphic uses parts of visible-light images taken by the Cassini spacecraft camera that have been modified for the purpose of showing the interior structure. Cassini's cameras captured a giant plume blasting icy particles into space. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit:NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date May 31, 2006
Arabian Sulci
Description Enceladus shows off its tortured south polar terrain, which is crosscut by the roughly parallel furrows and ridges called sulci, or informally, 'tiger stripes.'
Full Description Enceladus shows off its tortured south polar terrain, which is crosscut by the roughly parallel furrows and ridges called sulci, or informally, "tiger stripes." Several features on Enceladus were recently given names by the International Astronomical Union in accord with the naming convention for the icy moon, which draws from characters and places from The Arabian Nights. The four most prominent sulci are named Alexandria, Cairo, Baghdad and Damascus. Lit terrain in this view is on the anti-Saturn side of Enceladus (505 kilometers, or 314 miles across). The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Nov. 8, 2006 at a distance of approximately 399,000 kilometers (248,000 miles) from Enceladus and at a Sun-Enceladus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 75 degrees. Image scale is 2 kilometers (1 mile) per pixel. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . *Credit:* NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date December 13, 2006
Saturn's Cleanest Moon: Ence …
Title Saturn's Cleanest Moon: Enceladus
Explanation Enceladus [ http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/enceladus.html ] orbits Saturn [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951018.html ] between the smaller Mimas [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950924.html ] and the larger Tethys [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951124.html ]. Enceladus is composed mostly of water ice and has the cleanest and purest ice surface in the Solar System [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950819.html ]. It's surface therefore appears nearly white. The surface also has many unusual groves and relatively few craters, like Jupiter [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951013.html ]'s moon Ganymede [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950904.html ]. This indicates that the surface is young and/or newly reformed. To explain this, some astronomers speculate that Enceladus [ http://www.c3.lanl.gov/~cjhamil/SolarSystem/enceladus.html ] is susceptible to some sort of volcanic [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950804.html ] activity. Enceladus was originally discovered in 1789 by William Herschel [ http://star.arm.ac.uk/history/herschel.html ].
Icy Enceladus
Description Icy Enceladus
Full Description This infrared color image of Enceladus was obtained by the Cassini visual infrared mapping spectrometer on March 9, 2005, when the Cassini spacecraft was 9,145 kilometers (5,716 miles) away from Enceladus. Enceladus shows substantial differences in composition or, more likely, particle size on its surface. Redder areas correspond to larger grain sizes, and appear to be correlated with craters and ridged regions. The surface of Enceladus is nearly pure water ice, no other components have been identified yet. The middle of the image is located at the equator near a longitude of 210 degrees. The image is about 100 kilometers (63 miles) square. The image shows the ratio of reflected light at 1.34 and 1.52 microns, wavelengths that are not visible to the human eye. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The visible and infrared mapping spectrometer team is based at the University of Arizona, Tucson. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit, http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. For more information about the visual and infrared mapping spectrometer visit http://wwwvims.lpl.arizona.edu/. *Credit:* NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
Date March 16, 2005
Enceladus Ice Geysers
Title Enceladus Ice Geysers
Explanation Ice geysers erupt on Enceladus [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enceladus_%28moon%29 ], bright and shiny inner moon of Saturn. Shown in this false-color image [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08386 ], a backlit view of the moon's southern limb, the majestic, icy plumes were discovered by [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap051205.html ] instruments on the Cassini Spacecraft during close encounters with Enceladus in November of 2005. Eight source locations [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/ press-release-details.cfm?newsID=780 ] for these geysers have now been identified along substantial surface fractures [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060310.html ] in the moon's south polar region. Researchers suspect the geysers arise [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA07799 ] from near-surface pockets of liquid water with temperatures [ http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/temps.htm ] near 273 kelvins (0 degrees C). That's hot when compared to the distant moon's surface temperature of 73 kelvins (-200 degrees C). The cryovolcanism [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryovolcanism ] is a dramatic sign that tiny, 500km-diameter Enceladus is surprisingly [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/ press-release-details.cfm?newsID=662 ] active. Enceladus ice geysers also likely produce Saturn's faint but extended E ring [ http://www.planetary.org/saturn/rings.html ].
Painting on the Walls
Description Painting on the Walls
Full Description During its closest flyby of Saturn's wrinkled, icy moon Enceladus, Cassini obtained multi-spectral images of its cratered terrain that have been put together to create this false-color view. To human eyes, Enceladus appears almost completely white, but false color reveals intriguing details. This view is a composite of images taken using filters sensitive to ultraviolet (centered at 338 nanometers), green (centered at 568 nanometers), and near-infrared (centered at 930 nanometers) light, and has been processed to accentuate subtle color differences. The uppermost surface of these terrains appears uniformly grey in this picture, suggesting that they are covered with materials of homogeneous composition and grain size. However, the walls of many of the fractures appear to be somewhat bluer than typical surface materials. It is possible that the difference in color identifies outcrops of solid ice on the walls of fractures, or ice with different grain-sizes, compared to powdery surface materials. It is also possible that the color identifies some compositional difference between buried ice and ice at the surface. The surface is peppered with craters of all sizes, from the 21-kilometer (13-mile) diameter crater at the top of the image, down to tiny craters near the limit of resolution. The prominent crater at the top contains a central, domelike structure more than 11 kilometers (7 miles) in diameter. The dome, the crater -- and indeed the entire scene -- is sliced by a complex network of fractures ranging in width from hundreds of meters in some places, to over three kilometers (2 miles) in others. The prominent, complex fracture in the bottom of the frame extends over 85 kilometers (53 miles) in length across the field of view. From Cassini's oblique vantage point, the walls of the large fracture are clearly visible. A pervasive network of narrow, parallel grooves can be seen in many places in the image, and they appear to slice the surface into parallel slabs of ice approximately 500 meters (1,600 feet) in thickness. The image has been rotated so that north is at the top of the scene. The terrain in this scene is located on the side of Enceladus that faces away from Saturn, centered on latitude 28.7 north, longitude 192.5 west. The image was taken during Cassini's closest-ever approach to Enceladus on March 9, 2005. It was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera at a distance of approximately 21,300 kilometers (13,200 miles) from Enceladus and at a Sun-Enceladus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 45 degrees. Resolution in the image is about 130 meters (430 feet) per pixel. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed,, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . For additional images visit the Cassini imaging team homepage http://ciclops.org . *Credit:* NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date March 16, 2005
Tiger Stripes are Cubs
PIA03551
Saturn
Visual and Infrared Mapping …
Title Tiger Stripes are Cubs
Original Caption Released with Image This visual and infrared mapping spectrometer image of Saturn's moon Enceladus (in the 2 micron-wavelength) shows the dark cracks at the south pole dubbed "tiger stripes" for their distinct stripe-like appearance. Superimposed on top of the map is a "crystallinity" map that shows the freshest, most crystal ice as blue. The crystalline ice is most prominent in the tiger stripes region. This image was taken during Cassini's close flyby of Enceladus on July 14, 2005. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The visual and infrared mapping spectrometer team is based at the University of Arizona. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. The visual and infrared mapping spectrometer team homepage is at http://wwwvims.lpl.arizona.edu [ http://wwwvims.lpl.arizona.edu ].
Saturn - high-resolution fil …
Title Saturn - high-resolution filtered image of Enceladus
Description This high-resolution filtered image of Enceladus was made from several images obtained Aug. 25 by Voyager 2 from a range of 119,000 kilometers (74,000 miles). It shows further surface detail on this Saturnian moon (also viewed in the accompanying release P-23955C/BW, S-2-50, imaged about the same time). Enceladus is seen to resemble Jupiter's Galilean satellite Ganymede, which is, however, about 10 times larger. Faintly visible here in "Saturnshine" is the hemisphere turned away from the sun. The Voyager project is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Date 08.28.1981
Season of Moons
PIA07767
Sol (our sun)
Imaging Science Subsystem
Title Season of Moons
Original Caption Released with Image http://ciclops.org [ http://ciclops.org ]., This montage shows four major icy moons of Saturn that the Cassini spacecraft visited while surveying the Saturnian system during 2005. Even though all of these bodies are made largely of ice, they exhibit remarkably different geological histories and varied surface features. Craters from meteorite impacts are common features on all of these moons. But since the major moons of Saturn are thought to have all formed at approximately the same time, the different distribution of sizes, shapes and numbers of craters on each of their surfaces tell scientists a great deal about the differences in their geologic histories. Rhea and Iapetus are thoroughly peppered by impacts, suggesting their surfaces have been exposed to the shooting gallery of space for eons. Dione appears to have regions of terrain that are smoother, with fewer craters, suggesting a slightly younger surface. Dione also has a large system of bright, braided fractures that suggest tectonic activity took place there some time after the moon first formed. Enceladus, however, possesses a region of terrain near its south pole (shown here), that is so dramatically devoid of impact sites that scientists suspected it was geologically active in the recent past, and perhaps even today. The discovery this year of material jetting from the pole and creating a great plume of icy particles confirmed these suspicions. See PIA07758 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA07758 ] for images of the Enceladus plume. The processes that power the activity on Enceladus remain elusive, as do those that produced the pronounced equatorial bulge on Iapetus. This feature was imaged for the first time by Cassini during a flyby of Iapetus that began New Year's Day. The bulge on Iapetus reaches 20 kilometers (12 miles) above the surrounding terrain in places, making it one of the tallest features in the solar system. Like many scientific journeys, Cassini's historic survey of Saturn's moons has raised more questions. For example, why small Enceladus (505 kilometers, or 314 miles across) is presently geologically active while much larger Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across) is not. Fortunately, such puzzles are the most exciting sort for scientists interested in uncovering the secrets of Saturn's realm. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at
Tiger Stripes Up Close
PIA06247
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem - …
Title Tiger Stripes Up Close
Original Caption Released with Image This close-up view of Saturn's moon Enceladus looks toward the moon's terminator (the transition from day to night) and shows a distinctive pattern of continuous, ridged, slightly curved and roughly parallel faults within the moon's southern polar latitudes. These surface features have been informally referred to by imaging scientists as "tiger stripes" due to their distinctly stripe-like appearance when viewed in false color (see PIA06249 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA06249 ]). Illumination of the scene is from the lower left. The image was obtained in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 14, 2005, at a distance of about 20,720 kilometers (12,880 miles) from Enceladus, and at a Sun-Enceladus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 46 degrees. The image scale is 122 meters (400 feet) per pixel. The image's contrast has been enhanced to aid visibility of surface features. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. For additional images visit the Cassini imaging team homepage http://ciclops.org [ http://ciclops.org ].
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