JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Image

Bursting at the Seams: the Geyser Basin of Enceladus

Feb. 23, 2010
NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured dramatic plumes, both large and small, spray water ice out from many locations along the famed 'tiger stripes' near the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus.

Dramatic plumes, both large and small, spray water ice out from many locations along the famed "tiger stripes" near the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus. The tiger stripes are fissures that spray icy particles, water vapor and organic compounds.

More than 30 individual jets of different sizes can be seen in this image and more than 20 of them had not been identified before. At least one jet spouting prominently in previous images now appears less powerful.

This mosaic was created from two high-resolution images that were captured by the narrow-angle camera when NASA's Cassini spacecraft flew past Enceladus and through the jets on Nov. 21, 2009. (For other images captured during the same flyby, see PIA11686 and PIA11687). Imaging the jets over time will allow Cassini scientists to study the consistency of their activity.

The south pole of the moon lies near the limb in the top left quadrant of the mosaic, near the large jet that is second from left. Lit terrain seen here is on the leading hemisphere of Enceladus (504 kilometers, 313 miles across).

Cassini scientists continue to study the question of whether reservoirs of liquid water exist beneath the surface of the moon. See PIA11114 and PIA08386 to learn more.

The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 14,000 kilometers (9,000 miles) from Enceladus and at a sun-Enceladus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 145 degrees. Image scale is 81 meters (267 feet) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org.

Download JPG
Download TIFF
Mission
Target
  • Enceladus
Spacecraft
  • Cassini Orbiter
Instrument
  • Imaging Science Subsystem - Narrow Angle
Credit
NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Keep Exploring

Slice of History - Happy 25th Anniversary, Cassini!

Enceladus in the Infrared (Map View)

Enceladus in the Infrared

Enceladus Global View with Plume (Artist's Rendering)

First Global Geologic Map of Titan

Enceladus Organics on Grains of Ice (Illustration)

Titan's Rimmed Lakes (Artist's Concept)

Texture Belts

Texture in the Outer Cassini Division

Mini-jets in the F Ring

Related Topic

News .

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Completes Mars Sample Depot

News .

NASA’s Juno Team Assessing Camera After 48th Flyby of Jupiter

News .

NASA’s Psyche Mission Continues Preparation for Launch in 2023

Event Feb. 16, 2023 .

Perseverance: Two Years on Mars

Mission .

Ranger 1

News .

NASA’s Lunar Flashlight Team Assessing Spacecraft’s Propulsion System

News .

Juno Spacecraft Recovering Memory After 47th Flyby of Jupiter

News .

NASA Explores a Winter Wonderland on Mars

News .

NASA Retires InSight Mars Lander Mission After Years of Science

News .

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Deposits First Sample on Mars Surface

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
Annual Reports
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Managers: Veronica McGregor, Randal Jackson
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Naomi Hartono
CL#: 21-0018