JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Image

Enceladus in the Infrared (Map View)

Sept. 29, 2020
Context Image
Annotated image for PIA24027
This infrared global map of Saturn's icy moon Enceladus was created using images acquired by NASA's Cassini spacecraft.
Context Image
Annotated image for PIA24027

This infrared global map of Saturn's icy moon Enceladus was created using images acquired by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. It is a companion to the global views presented in PIA24023.

It combines infrared maps obtained by the spacecraft's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS), published by Robidel et al. (2020), and the visible map from the Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS), published by Bland et al. (2018).

The colors used in this map represent infrared data collected by the VIMS instrument. The red color channel corresponds to a ratio of Enceladus' brightness observed at 3.1 microns divided by its brightness at 1.65 microns; the green channel corresponds to the brightness at 2.0 microns; and the blue channel corresponds to the brightness at 1.8 microns. These colors highlight the location of fresh crystalline ice, indicated by a red tint. Researchers also superimposed a high-resolution map of the moon's surface taken with the ISS camera (clear filter images), in order to show geologic features.

Figure 1 shows a version of the map with a latitude/longitude grid.

All seams and spurious artifacts were removed to produce a globally smooth image used in the orthographic views published in PIA24023.

This map is an equirectangular projection center at 0° longitude. The mean radius of Enceladus used for the projection of this map is 252.1 km (corresponding to a scale of 200 meters per pixel at the equator).

References:
- Robidel et al. (2020) - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2020.113848
- Bland et al (2018) - https://doi.org/10.1029/2018EA000399

More information about Cassini can be found here: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/cassini.

Download JPG
Download TIFF
Mission
Target
  • Enceladus
Spacecraft
  • Cassini Orbiter
Instrument
  • Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer
Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/LPG/CNRS/University of Nantes/Space Science Institute

Keep Exploring

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)

Mini-jets in the F Ring

Embedded Moons Sculpt Saturn's Rings

Texture in the Outer Cassini Division

Texture Belts

Infrared Eye Yields New Spectral Map

Related Topic

Event Aug. 18, 2022 .

Voyager – 45 Years in Space

News .

First of NASA’s SunRISE SmallSats Rolls Off Production Line

News .

10 Years Since Landing, NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover Still Has Drive

News .

NASA Will Inspire World When It Returns Mars Samples to Earth in 2033

News .

NASA Marks 25 Years Since Pathfinder Touched Down on Mars

News .

NASA, ESA to Discuss Mars Sample Return Mission

Mission .

SunRISE

News .

NASA’s Perseverance Scouts Mars Sample Return Campaign Landing Sites

News .

My Favorite Martian Image: ‘Enchanted’ Rocks at Jezero Crater

News .

Help NASA Scientists Find Clouds on Mars

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
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