November 26, 2009 | 2 comments

Cassini flyby shows Enceladus's wrinkled surface

Cassini flyby shows Enceladus's wrinkled surface

CLICK TO ENLARGE + NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Saturn's icy moon Enceladus is an intriguing target for astronomers and planetary scientists—it is a small body whose surface fractures and fissures speak to ongoing geological activity. From its south polar region, Enceladus spews misty plumes into space, a phenomenon that NASA's Cassini probe has been investigating for years. On November 21, Cassini buzzed the south side of the Saturnian moon at an altitude of about 1,600 kilometers, taking detailed photographs of the wrinkly surface and thermally scanning the area from which the plumes emanate. The image above, taken during the flyby, shows the rough ridges and valleys of Enceladus's icy surface. Near the south pole, the moon is heavily textured but largely free of impact craters, implying that the area has been reshaped by geologic activity in the relatively recent past.

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