Fact Sheet
Ring Skipping
Enceladus, one of the moons of Saturn, appears to hover just above the planet's rings in this recent image from the Cassini spacecraft, which is orbiting Saturn. Cassini has discovered that liquid water is shooting into space from cracks in the icy surface of Enceladus. As the water escapes it freezes, adding fresh ice to some of the rings. In this image, the rings are the wide line just below the small moon. Saturn forms the mustard-colored background, with its nightside at far right. The dark curved lines at top left are shadows cast by the rings. [Credit: NASA/JPL/SSI]
|