11 min read
On July 14, the Cassini spacecraft conducted its closest flyby yet, coming within 175 kilometers (109 miles) from the surface of the wrinkled, icy moon, Enceladus.
During Cassini's first flyby of Enceladus, a tenuous atmosphere was detected in magnetic field data, which may imply internal activity. This atmosphere may help explain the source of Saturn's outermost E ring. The icy surface of Enceladus appears to have similarities to both Europa and Ganymede -- two prominent icy satellites of Jupiter. Both Europa and Ganymede are thought to have subsurface water layers or "oceans," so the similarities with Enceladus are intriguing. |
Enceladus at a Glance |
Enceladus Flyby Jul. 14, 2005 Distance Speed + Enceladus Image Gallery + Saturn's Moons |
LATEST FLYBY IMAGES AND VIDEOS
Enceladus: The Plot Thickens | Enceladus: Global Patterns of Fracture (Southern Polar Projection) | Enceladus: North and South (Southern Polar Projection) | Enceladus: North and South (Northern Polar Projection) |
Related videos will appear here as they come in. | |||
» View All Flyby Images and Videos] | |||
LATEST FLYBY NEWS
Students Chosen as Cassini Scientists for a Day
Date | Title |
6/27/2008 | Cassini to Earth: 'Mission Accomplished, but New Questions Await!' |
6/16/2008 | |
4/29/2008 | NASA Spacecraft Tracks Raging Saturn Storm |
4/17/2008 | Saturn Images Showcased in New York City |
4/15/2008 | NASA Extends Cassini's Grand Tour of Saturn |
4/3/2008 | Want to be a Cassini Scientist for a Day? |
3/26/2008 | Cassini Tastes Organic Material at Saturn's Geyser Moon |
3/20/2008 | Cassini Spacecraft Finds Ocean May Exist Beneath Titan's Crust |
3/13/2008 | Cassini Flies Through Watery Plumes of Saturn Moon |
3/10/2008 | Cassini Spacecraft to Dive Into Water Plume of Saturn Moon |
3/6/2008 | Saturn's Moon Rhea Also May Have Rings |
2/19/2008 | Cassini Finds Mingling Moons May Share a Dark Past |
2/13/2008 | Titan's Surface Organics Surpass Oil Reserves on Earth |
1/31/2008 | Journey to Saturn From Your Computer |
1/3/2008 | Hot Cyclones Churn at Both Ends of Saturn |
12/12/2007 | Cassini Captures Best View Yet of Saturn's Ring Currents |
12/12/2007 | Planetary Scientists Close in on Saturn's Elusive Rotation |
12/12/2007 | Saturn's Rings May Be Old Timers |
12/6/2007 | Images of Saturn's Small Moons Tell the Story of Their Origins |
12/5/2007 | Cassini Team Recruits Next Generation of Scientists |
11/28/2007 | Organic 'Building Blocks' Discovered in Titan's Atmosphere |
10/24/2007 | First Known Belt of Moonlets in Saturn's Rings |
10/23/2007 | You, Too, Can Be a Scientist for a Day |
10/15/2007 | Inspiring Views Celebrate Cassini's Diamond Anniversary |
10/11/2007 | Cassini Mission to Saturn Celebrates 10 Years Since Launch |
10/11/2007 | Cassini Provides New Views of Titan's Land of Lakes and Seas |
10/10/2007 | Cassini Pinpoints Hot Sources of Jets on Enceladus |
10/9/2007 | Caltech's Ingersoll Receives Achievement Award |
10/8/2007 | Cassini Is on the Trail of a Runaway Mystery |
9/12/2007 | Saturn's Moon Iapetus is the Yin-and-Yang of the Solar System |
9/11/2007 | Cassini Flies By Walnut-Shaped Moon Iapetus |
9/5/2007 | Cassini Prepares to Fly By Walnut-shaped Moon |
8/2/2007 | Cassini Finds Possible Origin of One of Saturn's Rings |
7/17/2007 | Saturn's Old Moon Iapetus Retains its Youthful Figure |
7/4/2007 | Cassini Scientists Wring Out The Details On Spongy Hyperion |
7/4/2007 | NASA Finds Hydrocarbons on Saturn's Moon Hyperion |
6/14/2007 | Cassini Finds Saturn Moons Are Active |
5/22/2007 | Cassini 'Cat Scan' Maps Clumps in Saturn's Rings |
5/16/2007 | Cracks on Enceladus Open and Close Under Saturn's Pull |
5/16/2007 | Frictional Heating Explains Plumes on Enceladus |
5/10/2007 | Cassini Spacecraft Reveals Evidence of Tholin Formation at High Altitudes in Titan's Atmosphere |
5/8/2007 | Cassini Finds that Storms Power Saturn's Jet Streams |
3/27/2007 | Cassini Images Bizarre Hexagon on Saturn |
3/22/2007 | Enceladus Geysers Mask the Length of Saturn's Day |
3/13/2007 | Cassini Spacecraft Images Seas on Saturn's Moon Titan |
3/12/2007 | A Hot Start Might Explain Geysers on Enceladus |
3/5/2007 | Huygens landing site to be named after Hubert Curien |
3/1/2007 | Cassini Returns Never Before Seen Views of the Ringed Planet |
2/1/2007 | Cassini Images Mammoth Cloud Engulfing Titan's North Pole |
12/29/2006 | Cassini Sends End-of-Year Greetings from Across the Solar System |
12/12/2006 | Massive Mountain Range Imaged on Saturn's Moon Titan |
11/9/2006 | NASA Sees into the Eye of a Monster Storm on Saturn |
10/11/2006 | NASA Finds Saturn's Moons May Be Creating New Rings |
10/11/2006 | Saturn's Rings Show Evidence of a Modern-day Collision |
10/11/2006 | Cassini Image Shows Saturn Draped in a String of Pearls |
10/5/2006 | 'Chinese Lantern' Technique Helps Track Clouds at Saturn |
9/19/2006 | Scientists Discover New Ring and Other Features at Saturn |
9/14/2006 | Cassini Detects Vast Ethane Cloud on Titan |
7/27/2006 | NASA Reports That Methane Drizzles on Saturn's Moon, Titan |
7/27/2006 | Cassini Finds Lakes on Titan's Arctic Region |
7/27/2006 | How the World Watched Huygens |
7/25/2006 | Titan's Pebbles 'Seen' by Huygens Radio |
7/19/2006 | Cassini Reveals Titan's Xanadu Region To Be an Earth-like Land |
7/5/2006 | Saturn's Faint Rings Share Some Of Their Secrets |
6/27/2006 | |
6/21/2006 | NASA's Cassini Spacecraft Captures Saturnian Moon Ballet |
5/31/2006 | NASA-funded Study Says Saturn's Moon Enceladus Rolled Over |
5/4/2006 | Titan's Seas Are Sand |
5/4/2006 | Cassini Offers New Hints on Length of Saturn's Day |
5/4/2006 | NASA and Partners Release New Movies of Titan |
4/10/2006 | Cassini-Huygens Team Receives Space Award |
4/6/2006 | New Cassini Image At Saturn Shows 'A' Ring Contains More Debris Than Once Believed |
3/29/2006 | Cassini Finds 'Missing Link' Moonlet Evidence in Saturn's Rings |
3/9/2006 | NASA's Cassini Discovers Potential Liquid Water on Enceladus |
3/1/2006 | Does Titan's methane originate from underground? |
3/1/2006 | Scientists Solve the Mystery of Methane in Titan's Atmosphere |
1/12/2006 | Huygens Landing: One Year Later |
12/6/2005 | Cassini's Photo Album From a Season of Icy Moons |
12/6/2005 | NASA's Cassini Images Reveal Spectacular Evidence of an Active Moon |
10/26/2005 | Cassini reveals more about Saturn's F ring |
10/20/2005 | Stormy Weather on Saturn's Moon Titan |
10/17/2005 | Cassini Views Dione, a Frigid Ice World |
9/29/2005 | Cassini's Doubleheader Flybys Score Home Run |
9/16/2005 | Cassini Radar Images Show Dramatic Shoreline on Titan |
9/16/2005 | Ghostly Spokes in Saturn's Rings Spotted by Cassini |
8/30/2005 | Cassini Finds Enceladus Tiger Stripes are Really Cubs |
8/5/2005 | Cassini Flies by Saturn's Tortured Moon Mimas |
7/29/2005 | Cassini Finds an Active, Watery World at Saturn's Enceladus |
7/26/2005 | Cassini Finds Recent and Unusual Geology on Enceladus |
7/25/2005 | Cassini Reveals Saturn's Eerie-Sounding Radio Emissions |
7/11/2005 | Spongy-Looking Hyperion Tumbles into View |
6/28/2005 | NASA's Cassini Reveals Lake-like Feature on Titan |
6/8/2005 | Scientists Discover Possible Titan Volcano |
5/25/2005 | Odd Spot on Titan Baffles Scientists |
5/23/2005 | Cassini Radio Signals Decipher Saturn Ring Structure |
5/12/2005 | Titan's Atmosphere Revealed by New NASA Observation |
5/10/2005 | Cassini Finds New Saturn Moon that Makes Waves |
5/6/2005 | Scientists Discover Pluto Kin Is a Member of Saturn Family |
4/27/2005 | Cassini Captures Swiss-Cheese Look of Saturn Moon |
4/26/2005 | Cassini Finds Particles Near Saturn's Moon Enceladus |
4/25/2005 | Organic Materials Spotted High Above Titan's Surface |
4/6/2005 | Cassini Mission Status Report |
3/16/2005 | Cassini Finds an Atmosphere on Saturn's Moon Enceladus |
3/9/2005 | Cassini Images of Titan Reveal an Active, Earth-like World |
3/7/2005 | Volunteer Network Provides Ringside Seat to Saturn |
2/24/2005 | NASA's Cassini Spacecraft Continues Making New Saturn Discoveries |
2/18/2005 | Saturn's Moons Titan and Enceladus Seen by Cassini |
2/16/2005 | Cassini's Radar Spots Giant Crater on Titan |
2/16/2005 | NASA Spacecraft Help Solve Saturn's Mysterious Auroras |
2/11/2005 | NASA and the Universe Send a Celestial Valentine |
2/9/2005 | NASA Observations Help Determine Titan Wind Speeds |
2/8/2005 | Cassini Spacecraft Witnesses Saturn's Blues |
1/18/2005 | Huygens Landed with a Splat |
1/18/2005 | More of Titans secrets to be unveiled on Jan. 21 |
1/14/2005 | NASA Salutes Successful Huygens Probe |
1/14/2005 | Europe Reaches New Frontier - Huygens Lands on Titan |
1/14/2005 | Radio Astronomers Confirm Huygens Entry in the Atmosphere of Titan |
1/11/2005 | ESA Says Huygens Got a Good Start |
1/7/2005 | Saturn's Moon Iapetus Shows a Bulging Waistline |
1/3/2005 | Cassini Mission Status Report |
12/30/2004 | Cassini Caps off 2004 With Flyby of Icy Moon Iapetus |
12/28/2004 | Cassini Mission Status Report |
12/24/2004 | Titan-Bound Huygens Probe Detaches From Cassini |
12/21/2004 | European Space Agency's Huygens Probe Set to Detach From Cassini Orbiter |
12/16/2004 | Cassini Shows Before and After Look at Saturn's Moon Titan |
12/14/2004 | Cassini Mission Status Report |
12/3/2004 | Cassini Captures Saturn Moon Red-Handed |
11/23/2004 | Successful Huygens test: last before separation |
11/23/2004 | Cassini Shows Grandeur of Two Saturn Moons |
11/9/2004 | Cassini Radar Sees Bright Flow-like Feature On Titan |
11/8/2004 | Cassini Observations Show Dynamic Dance At Saturn |
11/5/2004 | Radar Image Shows Titan's Surface Live and in Color |
11/4/2004 | The Day of Descent |
10/29/2004 | Cassini's Radar Shows Titan's Young Active Surface |
10/27/2004 | Cassini Peeks Below Cloud Shroud Around Titan |
10/26/2004 | Cassini-Huygens makes first close approach to Titan |
10/26/2004 | Cassini-Huygens Mission Status Report |
10/25/2004 | First Close Encounter of Saturn's Hazy Moon Titan |
10/21/2004 | The sounds of Titan |
9/17/2004 | Huygens Test Successful |
9/16/2004 | Strings of Shadowy Rings Drape Saturn |
9/9/2004 | Cassini Discovers Ring and One, Possibly Two, Objects at Saturn |
9/2/2004 | Cassini Reveals Saturn's Cool Rings |
8/23/2004 | Cassini-Huygens Mission Status Report |
8/16/2004 | Out from the Shadows: Two New Saturnian Moons |
8/5/2004 | Saturn's Shadow and Titan's Glow Shed Light on a Complex System |
7/29/2004 | Titan's Purple Haze Points to a Fuzzy Past |
7/22/2004 | Saturn's Rings Offer a Fresco of Color |
7/15/2004 | Cassini Exposes Saturn's Two-Face Moon |
7/15/2004 | Huygens in Perfect Health |
7/12/2004 | Cassini-Huygens Mission Status Report |
7/12/2004 | Saturn's Majestic Rings Are the Topic of Free Lectures |
7/3/2004 | Cassini Provides New Views of Titan, Saturn's Largest Moon |
7/2/2004 | Cassini Exposes Puzzles About Ingredients in Saturn's Rings |
7/1/2004 | Fresh Cassini Pictures Show Majesty of Saturn's Rings |
6/30/2004 | Cassini Set to Ring Saturn Today |
6/30/2004 | Cassini Spacecraft Arrives at Saturn |
6/29/2004 | Cassini Spacecraft at Saturn's Doorstep |
6/29/2004 | NASA Plans Dual Broadcasts of Spacewalk, Cassini |
6/28/2004 | Scientists Find That Saturn's Rotation Period is a Puzzle |
6/25/2004 | Getting Closer to Titan |
6/23/2004 | Cassini Opens a Cosmic Time Capsule |
6/17/2004 | Cassini-Huygens Mission Status Report |
6/14/2004 | Phoebe's Surface Reveals Clues to its Origin |
6/12/2004 | Cassini Makes Close Observations of Phoebe |
6/12/2004 | Cassini's Flyby of Phoebe Shows a Moon with a Battered Past |
6/9/2004 | Cassini Spacecraft Near First Stop in Historic Saturn Tour |
6/3/2004 | Cassini-Huygens Will Unlock Saturn's Secrets |
5/28/2004 | Cassini-Huygens Mission Status Report |
5/26/2004 | Saturn Seen From Far and Near |
4/8/2004 | Two Storms Caught in the Act on Saturn |
2/27/2004 | Cassini Captures Stunning View of Saturn |
12/8/2003 | Interstellar Hydrogen Shadow Observed by Cassini |
12/5/2003 | Saturn Details Become Visible To Cassini Spacecraft |
11/13/2003 | Cassini Captures Jupiter in Close-Up Portrait |
10/2/2003 | Saturn-Bound Spacecraft Tests Einstein's Theory |
9/9/2003 | The Slant on Saturn's Rings |
3/12/2003 | Exploring Jupiter's Great Dark Spot |
3/6/2003 | Rising Storms Revise Story Of Jupiter's Stripes |
2/27/2003 | NASA'S New Spacecraft Tool Reveals Massive Jupiter Gas Cloud |
12/18/2002 | Clouds Discovered on Saturn's Moon Titan |
11/1/2002 | Cassini-Huygens Mission Status |
9/26/2002 | Titan-Bound Probe Glides Through Test |
7/23/2002 | Cassini Camera Haze is Removed |
5/24/2002 | Awards for Excellence - 2002 |
5/16/2002 | Cassini Camera Lens is Clearing Up |
4/4/2002 | NASA Cassini Spacecraft April 3 Course Adjustment was Successful |
3/13/2002 | Churning Whirlpool Stars in Ultraviolet Jupiter Movie |
2/27/2002 | Solar Wind Buffets Vast Jupiter Region, Team Approach Reveals |
2/11/2002 | NASA Spacecraft Completed a 40-day Period of Data Collection |
11/20/2001 | NASA Spacecraft to Hunt for Elusive Gravity Ripples |
7/16/2001 | Seventy-Day Jupiter Movie Pulls Patterns Out of Chaos |
6/29/2001 | European Space Agency and NASA Set New Cassini-Huygens Plan |
5/31/2001 | Crescents Slice the Darkness in "Farewell Jupiter" Picture by Cassini |
5/31/2001 | Jupiter Particles' Escape Route Found |
4/30/2001 | NASA Spacecraft Completed a 40-day Period of Data Collection |
3/29/2001 | Two Spacecraft See New Plume Activity on Jovian Moom Io |
3/28/2001 | Jupiter Radiation Belts Harsher Than Expected |
3/12/2001 | Free Lectures Will Describe NASA's Double-Teaming of Jupiter |
3/8/2001 | Postcards from Jupiter: New Aurora Details Seen |
2/5/2001 | Volcanoes and Auroras Glow in Eclipse Movie of Jupiter's Moon Io |
1/29/2001 | Jupiter's Magnetosphere |
1/24/2001 | Cassini "Sees" Invisible Gas Doughnut Around Jupiter |
1/23/2001 | Cassini Camera Visualizes the Invisible During Jupiter Flyby |
1/23/2001 | CIRS Objectives and Plans at Jupiter |
1/23/2001 | New from Cassini: Jupiter Lightning Storms, Small Moon |
1/19/2001 | Cassini Scientists See No Sign of Lightning on Venus |
1/12/2001 | Inside Jupiter's Magnetosphere |
1/4/2001 | NASA's Cassini Listens to Eerie New Sounds of Space Near Jupiter |
1/4/2001 | Mission Status |
12/30/2000 | Bizarre New Sounds of Jupiter from NASA |
12/30/2000 | Bizarre New Sights and Sounds of Jupiter |
12/29/2000 | Jupiter Clouds in Depth |
12/28/2000 | Cassini Passes Through Asteroid Belt |
12/27/2000 | Cassini's First Color Movie of Jupiter |
12/21/2000 | New From Cassini: Jupiter Family Pictures |
12/21/2000 | Resuming Use of Reaction Wheels |
12/20/2000 | Cassini's Sleighful of Jupiter Pictures: Golden Ornament, Silvery Ring |
12/20/2000 | Cassini Spacecraft is Running Tests |
12/18/2000 | Picture Releases Become More Frequent as Cassini Nears Juipter |
12/15/2000 | "Sounds" of Outer Space Near Jupiter Now Online |
12/11/2000 | Jupiter Movie Shows High Clouds |
12/5/2000 | Turbulence Furrows Jupiter's Brow |
11/20/2000 | Clouds Dance in Jupiter Movie Clips |
11/6/2000 | View Changes as Jupiter Rotates |
10/23/2000 | Cassini Snaps Jupiter's Red Spot |
10/20/2000 | First Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) Spectral Images of Jupiter |
10/9/2000 | Cassini Sends Color Image of Jupiter |
10/5/2000 | Cassini's First Look at Jupiter |
4/14/2000 | Cassini Passes Through Asteroid Belt |
2/11/2000 | New Cassini Images of Asteroid Available |
12/20/1999 | Cassini Enters Asteroid Belt |
8/17/1999 | Cassini Completes Earth Flyby |
8/11/1999 | On Target for Earth Flyby |
6/24/1999 | Cassini Completes Second Venus Flyby |
4/5/1999 | Cosmic Dust Analyzer Activated |
3/10/1999 | International Science Team Details Observation Plans |
1/15/1999 | Cassini Executes Instrument Checkout |
12/3/1998 | Trajectory Adjustment Prepares Cassini for Second Venus Flyby |
9/4/1998 | Cassini Program Frees Up Valuable DSN Time |
7/7/1998 | Scheduled Maintainence Keeps Spacecraft in Top Shape |
6/4/1998 | Cassini Program Manager Awarded NASA's Highest Honor |
4/29/1998 | Venus Flyby Update |
4/26/1998 | Cassini Completes First Venus Flyby |
4/3/1998 | On Target for First Venus Flyby |
3/26/1998 | Fault Protection Detects Minor Orientation Discrepancy |
3/3/1998 | Cassini Completes Second Trajectory Adjustment |
2/3/1998 | Navigators Prepare for Scheduled Trajectory Refinements |
1/8/1998 | Early Mission Phase Nears Completion |
12/3/1997 | Cassini Continues Successful Deployment of Instruments |
11/10/1997 | Successful Trajectory Control Maneuver Marks Milestone for Cassini |
11/3/1997 | Ground Controllers Prepare for First Scheduled Trajectory Adjustment |
10/28/1997 | Cassini Status Update (Launch +13) |
10/23/1997 | Cassini Status Update (Launch +8) |
10/20/1997 | Cassini Status Update (Launch +5) |
10/17/1997 | Cassini Status Update (Launch +2) |
10/16/1997 | Cassini Status Update (Launch +1) |
10/15/1997 | Liftoff of the Cassini Spacecraft |
10/15/1997 | Post-Launch Update |
10/13/1997 | Launch Postponed Until October 15 |
10/11/1997 | Launch to Proceed as Scheduled |
10/10/1997 | Cassini Closed Out For Flight |
10/3/1997 | NASA Receives Approval to Launch Cassini Mission |
9/19/1997 | Cassini Launch Rescheduled for October 13th |
9/17/1997 | Cassini Spacecraft Mated to Launch Vehicle |
9/11/1997 | Repair Work on Cassini Huygens Probe Completed Successfully |
9/4/1997 | Cassini Program Assesses New Launch Timeframe |
4/21/1997 | Spacecraft Arrives at Kennedy Space Center |
2/14/1997 | Cassini Returns to JPL for Final Systems Testing |
1/3/1997 | Solar System's Best-Outfitted Spacecraft Dons its Thermal Cloak |
10/15/1996 | Cassini Spacecraft Readied for "Shake and Bake" Tests |
9/25/1996 | Assembly Completed on Cassini Spacecraft |
8/1/1996 | Cassini Program Status Report |
5/1/1996 | Cassini Program Status Report |
4/1/1996 | Cassini Program Status Report |
3/1/1996 | Cassini Program Status Report |
2/1/1996 | Cassini Program Status Report |
1/29/1996 | Key Components Installed on Saturn-Bound Spacecraft |
Share
Details
Last Updated
Jan 24, 2024
Editor
NASA Science Editorial Team
