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Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Poster – Version D

Backlit view of plume erupting from Enceladus.
August 8, 2018
Credit NASA
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  • english

Version D of the Enceladus installment of our solar system poster series.

The posters are best printed on 11×17 paper. Several download options are available in the column on the right.

About the image: Dramatic plumes, both large and small, spray water ice and vapor from many locations along the famed “tiger stripes” near the south pole of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

On the Back

Back of poster with orbit diagram and size comparison
Optional back with a brief summary and orbit diagram.

Few worlds in our solar system are as compelling as Saturn’s icy ocean moon Enceladus.

A handful of worlds are thought to have liquid water oceans beneath their frozen shell, but Enceladus sprays its ocean out into space where a spacecraft can sample it.

From these samples, scientists have determined that Enceladus has most of the chemical ingredients needed for life, and likely has hydrothermal vents spewing out hot, mineral-rich water into its ocean.

About as wide as Arizona, Enceladus also has the whitest, most reflective surface in the solar system. The moon creates a ring of its own as it orbits Saturn—its spray of icy particles spreads out into the space around its orbit, circling the planet to form Saturn’s E ring.

Enceladus is named after a giant in Greek mythology.

Explore Enceladus in depth at https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/enceladus