| Solar System Scratchpad |
Second large moon of Saturn. The brightest and smoothest known body in the solar system. Has active ice geysers that feed Saturn's rings and enter its atmosphere (making it the only Moon to affect its parent's composition) and neighboring moons.
Timeline[]
100 Million Years Ago[]
It is possible that Enceladus formed at this time or later. This may have been enough time for life to develop though.
Earlier History[]
Enceladus likely didn't exist, or existed elsewhere. At some point, other moons may have existed. These may have been involved in a collision and formed a debris disk, with Enceladus and its neighbors forming from the remains.
Later History[]
- Discovered in 1789 by William Herschel.
1900 AD[]
Enceladus was the second known moon from Saturn out of 9, also known as Saturn II.
Modern History[]
- Visited by Voyager 1 and 2 in the 1980s.
- Cassini flybys started in 2005, discovering plumes venting from the south polar region.
- Evidence
Today[]
Enceladus Web Pages[]
Space Blogger[]
- Finding Economy in Exploring the Spheres of Saturn
- Tilting at Enceladus
- Cassini Highlights The Enceladus Surprise Packet
MSNBC Commentary[]
Proposed Particle Collector Mission - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11744581/
Enceladus Places in the News[]
See also Space Places in the News
- Tiger Stripes - Four parallel ridges on Enceladus related to cryovolcanism.
- Labtayt Sulci - A system of deep fractures on Enceladus first discovered by Voyager 1 and then photographed in detail by Cassini. It is about 164 km long, 4 km wide, and 1 km deep.
Enceladus In The News[]
Cassini Science in the News[]
March 2008 Flyby[]
- Nearby (30 miles) flyby over more active south pole close enough to "taste" Enceladus's plumes.
- Cosmic Dust Analyzer instrument malfunctioned during flyby.
- Went through icy geysers at an altitude of 120 miles
- Found the north pole much more ancient than south pole
- http://dailycamera.com/news/2008/mar/15/nasa-spacecraft-flies-over-icy-geysers/
- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23622765/
- http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/14/cassini_enceladus/
- http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/080314-cassini-update.html
- http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn13467-cassini-probe-failed-to-taste-moons-geysers-in-flyby.html
- http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2008-044
- http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080314/ap_on_sc/saturn_moon;_ylt=Ag4DWD4_1sxWvi4Q4eyQmXJvieAA
- http://www.spacetoday.net/getarticle.php3?id=117348
Eccentric Orbit Causes Internal Heat (May 2007)[]
- http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/05/17/saturnmoon_spa.html?category=space&guid=20070517111500
- http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/1328
- http://www.ucsc.edu/news_events/text.asp?pid=1293
- http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/media/enceladus_cracks.html
- http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070516/sc_afp/scienceastronomysaturn_070516192551;_ylt=AgLn5AFSL.5ZnFNtTL4kU3blmlUA
- http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2007/516/4
- http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070516_enceladus_plumes.html
- http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn11871-grinding-ice-generates-saturn-moons-icy-plumes.html
All Ingrediants Needed For Life Present (Dec 2009)[]
Enceladus has Earth-Like Crust Spreading (Dec 2009)[]
Also, volcanism may have been started by a comet impact millions of years ago
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/globalwarming/3792871/Saturn-moon-Enceladus-has-spreading-Earth-like-crust-indicating-liquid-seas.html
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7784902.stm
- http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/12/081216-saturn-moon-geysers_2.html
Geysers Shouldn't Exist, but There They Are (Jan 2009)[]
General Articles (Apr 2009)[]
Sodium Detected by Cassini in Enceladus Geyser (Apr 2009)[]
Freeze-Thaw Cycle Possible (May 2009)[]
Recreating Ice Found on Distant Worlds (Jun 2009)[]
Cassini Images Enceladus Eclipse of Mimas (Jun 2009)[]
- http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17360-eclipse-darkens-death-star-moon-in-new-video.html
- http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/22/1973348.aspx
Conflicting Evidence for Salts in Saturn's Enceladus-fed E Ring (Jul 2009)[]
- http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/Cassie063009.xml&headline=Composition%20Of%20Enceladus%20Jets%20Still%20Unclear&channel=space
- http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1907238,00.html
- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105853814
- http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/2832/life-friendly-ocean-saturns-moon
- http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMH0X0P0WF_index_0.html
Model of Interior With Ammonia Explains Ocean (Jul 2009)[]
- http://newsroom.melbourne.edu/news/n-87
- http://www.euronews.net/2009/06/30/is-there-life-on-enceladus/
Ammonia Found in Plumes at Enceladus (May-Jul 2009)[]
"Announced (May 2009)
"Released (Jul 2009)
- http://www.astronomynow.com/news/n0907/23enc/
- http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/features.cfm?feature=2238
- http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/45823/title/Evidence_mounts_for_liquid_interior_of_a_Saturn_moon_
- http://uanews.org/node/26516
- http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=8145768&page=1
UTSA Paper Suggests Liquid Water (Aug 2009)[]
- http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/othercities/sanantonio/stories/2009/08/24/daily8.html
- http://www.utsa.edu/today/2009/08/westlake.cfm
Enceladus E-13 Flyby, Measures Greater Heat (Jan 2011)[]
- See also Mimas, Helene
- http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-423 - Notice
- http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/26jan_fizzyocean/
- http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-032
Produces Much More Heat than Expected (Mar 2011)[]
- This strengthens the case for a liquid ocean, raises possibility of microbes.
- http://news.discovery.com/space/saturn-ice-moon-enceladus-110310.html
- http://www.space.com/11063-saturn-moon-enceladus-heat-power.html
- http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-067
Enceladus Causes Aurora's on Saturn (Apr 2011)[]
- http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/apr/HQ_11-115_Cassini_On_Saturn.html
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13131537
- http://www.space.com/11445-saturn-moon-northern-lights-enceladus.html
- http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20399-geyser-moon-puts-its-mark-on-saturn.html
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1379188/Saturn-linked-icy-moon-Enceladus-beam-electrons.html
Named Most Likely Place For Life By SETI (May 2011)[]
- http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110531/full/news.2011.337.html
- http://news.discovery.com/space/could-saturns-moon-enceladus-nurture-alien-life-110608.html
Evidence of Frozen Salty Ocean (Jul 2011)[]
- Article in Nature offers most compelling evidence for a salt frozen ocean, caused in part by tidal stresses from Dione and Tethys
- http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2079628,00.html
- http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/124501909.html
- http://www.astronomynow.com/news/n1106/24enceladus/
- http://physicsworld.com/blog/2011/06/post_12.html
- http://today.ucf.edu/moon-geyser-finding-significant-ucf-scientist-says/
- http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2011/0622/Hidden-sea-on-a-Saturn-moon-New-evidence-says-yes
- http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/06/does-life-exist-on-distant-moons.html?ref=hp
- http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/4439/saturn%E2%80%99s-moon-may-have-salty-earthlike-ocean
- http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMSZ2037PG_index_0.html
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/saturns-moon-enceladus-shows-evidence-of-an-ocean-beneath-its-surface/2011/06/22/AGWYaPgH_story.html
- http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=enceladus-saltwater-liquid
- http://news.discovery.com/space/enceladus-may-possess-a-salty-liquid-ocean-110622.html
- http://www.colorado.edu/news/r/8a6b83a11597f5e3d8536af11b1b4ca6.html
- http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/06/scienceshot-life-on-enceladus.html?ref=hp
- http://www.space.com/12043-saturn-moon-enceladus-salty-sea-underground.html
Carolyn Porco Says Its Most Likely Place to Find Life (Jun 2011)[]
- https://www.seti.org/seti-institute/press-release/moons-saturn-may-be-younger-dinosaurs
- http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/06/carolyn-porco-qa/
Enceladus Source of Water in Saturn's Upper Atmosphere (Jul 2011)[]
- http://www.astronomynow.com/news/n1107/28enceladus/
- http://www.space.com/12432-saturn-water-rain-enceladus-moon.html
Age Could be 100 Million Years (Mar 2016)[]
A Porous Core May Heat the Ocean (Nov 2017)[]
Cassini Photography in the News[]
Photos Released for Holidays (Dec 2010)[]
- See also Enceladus
- http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-424
- http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/12/21/5691516-happy-holidays-from-saturns-moons
Video of Cassini Flyby in Outside In Imax Project (Mar 2011)[]
Saturn, Titan, Enceladus, and Pandora Image (Mar 2011)[]
Black Saturn and Three Moons (Jul 2011)[]
Enceladus Blasting Rings (Feb 2018)[]
Titan Saturn System Mission in the News[]
- Titan orbiter would tour the Saturn system, including Enceladus, before orbiting Titan
About to Choose Between Saturn and Jupiter Missions (Jan 2009)[]
Europa Mission Chosen (Feb 2009)[]
- http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/37890
- http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/19/nation/na-europa19
- http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMPHGWX3RF_index_0.html
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021802497.html
- http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0902/18outerplanets/index2.html
- http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0902/18outerplanets/index2.html
- http://www.space.com/news/090218-nasa-esa-outer-planet-missions.html
- http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16626-europa-trumps-titan-in-bid-for-outer-planet-mission.html
Future Enceladus Exploration in the News[]
NASA Decadal Survey Town Hall Approaching (Apr 2011)[]
Private Exploration of Enceladus (Nov 2017)[]
Could Be Too Soft to Land On (Jan 2018)[]
Earth-Bound Studies in the News[]
Microbes Could Survive in Enceladus-Like Environments (Feb 2018)[]
- https://www.space.com/39819-saturn-moon-enceladus-methane-microbes.html
- https://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcome/?toURL=https://www.forbes.com/sites/meriameberboucha/2018/02/28/is-there-life-on-enceladus/&refURL=https://www.google.com/&referrer=https://www.google.com/