November 26, 2009
1 min read
Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAmCassini flyby shows Enceladus's wrinkled surface
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.
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
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.
Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism
Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.
When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.
Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber