Enceladus 'E-15' Flyby: Doing Science With Orion's Belt
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft successfully completed its Oct. 1 flyby of Saturn’s moon Enceladus, capturing this raw, unprocessed image of the moon.
Enceladus ‘E-15’ Flyby: Doing Science With Orion’s Belt
This Enceladus flyby featured an ultraviolet stellar occultation, in which two of the three stars that make up Orion’s belt appear behind the moon’s plumes. Scientists hope to understand the density, composition, and variability of the jets from these observations. Infrared instruments and cameras monitored activity on the moon.
Enceladus Flyby at a Glance
Date
Oct. 19, 2011
Altitude
765 miles (1,231 km)
Speed
17,000 mph (7.4 km/sec)
