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Enceladus

Enceladus is an ice covered moon, 505 km across. It is one of the most reflective bodies in the solar system - 90 percent of the light it receives is sent back into space - the same reflectivity as fresh fallen snow.

Surface features include:

  • Sinuous mountain ridges 1,000 to 2,000 m high.
  • Some broad, extensively re-surfaced regions.
  • Linear cracks, possibly caused by sideways fault motion like that of the San Andreas fault.
  • Surfaces formed by separation of icy plates along cracks,
  • Possibly active ice volcanoes
This tiny ice ball appears to have been geologically active and to have had a partially liquid interior for much of its history. The heat engine that powers its geologic activity may be caused by tidal deformation induced by the Saturn and the moon Dione.

Ice particles from Saturn's E-ring, may still be falling on Enceladus. The particles in the E-ring may have been ejected by ice volcanoes on Enceladus.

The images were taken by the Voyager and Cassini missions.

April 2005


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The 3D images are best viewed through red-blue glasses with the red lens over the left eye.

Source: NASA Planetary Photo Journal