Enceladus

Astronomy & Observing News

New Study Identifies Organic Molecules Spewing from Saturn's Icy Moon Enceladus

The discovery of a new array of molecules spouted from Enceladus indicates new promise for habitability within its frozen-over ocean.

Enceladus

Astronomy & Observing News

Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Might Have Weird “Space Rainbows”

Scouring old data from NASA’s Cassini mission revealed puzzling atmospheric stripes that could help probe Saturn’s icy moon.

Enceladus

Astronomy & Observing News

Plumes from Saturn's Moon Enceladus Might Come Straight from Its Hidden Ocean

Researchers reanalyzing Cassini data think the plumes from Enceladus might provide direct access to the Saturnian moon's underground ocean.

C-shape section of E ring with ghostly moon in the middle

Astronomy & Observing News

Phosphates Swim in the Ocean of Saturn's Moon Enceladus

Scientists detected phosphorous in an extraterrestrial ocean for the first time when they analyzed data from Saturn's moon Enceladus.

Enceladus's plumes

Astronomy & Observing News

Do the Plumes from Saturn’s Icy Moon Reach Down to Its Ocean?

The plumes erupting from Saturn's moon Enceladus may originate in slush in the moon's icy crust rather than its deep, subsurface ocean.

Tiger Stripes on Enceladus

Astronomy & Observing News

How Saturn's Moon Got Its Stripes

Astronomers have struggled to understand the origin of the parallel fractures on Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus, known as “tiger stripes,” from which water-ice spews into space. Now, a single explanation ties all the pieces together.

Saturn's moon Enceladus

Astrobiology

Potential Trouble for Life on Icy Moons

A lack of dry land on moons such as Europa and Enceladus might make it difficult to seed oceans with phosphorus, an element essential for life as we know it.

artist's concept of Cassini at Enceladus

Astronomy & Observing News

Enceladus: Hydrothermal Heating Confirmed

Astronomers have more evidence that the hidden ocean inside Saturn’s moon Enceladus is heated by hydrothermal activity.

Enceladus on 28 October 2015

Astrobiology

Cassini Flies Through Enceladus's Plume

On October 28th, the Cassini spacecraft took its deepest dive through the water plume spewing from the south pole of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. It passed only 30 miles (50 kilometers) above the icy surface.