"Cassini's stunning images are providing us a quick look at Enceladus from this ultra-close flyby, but some of the most exciting science is yet to come," Linda Spilker, the mission's project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a statement that accompanied the image release showing three bright sources on the moon from the icy spray.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
The data are expected to help Cassini scientists assess possible hydrothermal activity underway on the floor of the ocean encircling the 300-mi.-wide moon and as well as the extent of the organics contained in the spray.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
More imagery and data from the gas- and dust-detection instrumentation on the joint NASA, European and Italian space agency Cassini spacecraft are anticipated over the next several days. Until then, these unprocessed images are the first look at Cassini’s Oct. 28 flyby of the moon.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
This shot of Saturn’s F ring shows a feature that scientists call “gores” to the right of the bright clump. Another feature, a “jet,” is to the left of the bright spot. This shot looks at the dark side of the rings from about 7 deg. below the plane of the ring. It was taken March 15, 2015, about 295,000 mi. (475,000 km) from Saturn.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Cassini has captured shots of Saturn’s other moons, including Mimas—a medium-sized spherical moon, and Pandora—a small, irregularly shaped moon. Pandora has an elongated shape, which suggests that it was formed by ring particles on a dense core. Mimas is likely spherical because of its higher mass brings allows the moon to have its own gravitational pull.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
A closer look at the surface of Saturn’s moon Enceladus.
Credit: Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Another raw image of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Cassini will fly by the icy moon once again on Dec. 19.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
During that December flyby, Cassini will be measuring the amount of heat coming from the moon’s interior.
NASA released its first images of the geyser-like spray emerging from the South Pole of Saturn's ice- and ocean-covered moon Enceladus on Oct. 30, two days after the Cassini mission spacecraft dashed through at an altitude of just 30 mi. above the surface to gather data.
