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Enceladus [en-SELL-ah-dus] is one of the brightest objects in our solar system. Covered in water ice that reflects sunlight like freshly fallen snow, Enceladus reflects almost 100 percent of the sunlight that strikes it. Because Enceladus reflects so much sunlight, the surface temperature is extremely cold, about -201° C (-330° F).
About as wide as Arizona, Enceladus is quite similar in size to Mimas but has a smoother, brighter surface. Unlike Mimas, Enceladus displays at least five different types of terrain. Parts of the moon show craters no larger than 35 kilometers (about 22 miles) in diameter. Other areas show regions with no craters indicating major resurfacing events in the geologically recent past. There are fissures, plains, corrugated terrain and other crustal deformations. All of this indicates that the interior of the moon may be liquid today, even though it should have been frozen eons ago.
Enceladus' surface is believed to be geologically "young," possibly less than 100 million years old.
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Flyby Dates |
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- Dec. 19, 2015 -- 4,999 kilometers (3,106 miles)
- Oct. 28, 2015 -- 49 kilometers (30 miles)
- Oct. 14, 2015 -- 1,839 kilometers (1,142 miles)
- May 2, 2012 -- 74 kilometers (46 miles)
- April 14, 2012 -- 74 kilometers (46 miles)
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Fast Facts |
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- Discovered in 1789 by William Herschel
- Distance from Saturn: 237,378 kilometers (147,500 miles)
- Period of Orbit around Saturn: 32.8 hours
- Diameter: 512 x 494 x 489 km (318 x 307 x 304 miles)
- Mass: 1.2 x 1020 kg (2.6 x 1020 lbs)
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Science Goals |
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- Determine the characteristics and geological history of Enceladus
- Define the different physical processes that created the surface of Enceladus
- Investigate composition and distribution of surface materials on Enceladus -- particularly dark, organic-rich material and condensed ice
- Determine the bulk composition and internal structure of Enceladus
- Investigate interaction of Enceladus with Saturn's magnetosphere and ring system
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Saturn's Moons (sorted alphabetically) |
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