When did Cassini fly by Enceladus?

October 25, 2015: Cassini made a daring flight through the moon’s famous plume only 30 miles (48 kilometers) above Enceladus’ south pole.

How close did Cassini get to Enceladus?

3,106 miles
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has begun transmitting data and images from the mission’s final close flyby of Saturn’s active moon Enceladus. Cassini passed Enceladus at a distance of 3,106 miles (4,999 kilometers) on Saturday, Dec. 19, at 9:49 a.m. PST (12:49 p.m. EST).

What did Cassini discover on Enceladus?

Key Points. Cassini discovered that geyser-like jets spew water vapor and ice particles from an underground ocean beneath the icy crust of Enceladus.

What did Cassini discover about Enceladus geyser plume?

Later, on a subsequent pass, Cassini images revealed jets of water vapor and ice erupting form the surface of Enceladus. The discovery of the geysers took on more importance when Cassini later determined the plumes contained water ice and organics.

How many times did Cassini fly by Enceladus?

It’s likely Cassini would have discovered the plumes eventually, during one of its extended missions. But that would have left very little time to investigate them as fully as Cassini was able to. (The probe eventually completed 23 close flybys of Enceladus and multiple deep dives into the plumes.)

When was Enceladus discovered?

1789
Enceladus/Discovered

Enceladus, second nearest of the major regular moons of Saturn and the brightest of all its moons. It was discovered in 1789 by the English astronomer William Herschel and named for one of the Giants (Gigantes) of Greek mythology. Plumes of water ice spewing from the south polar region of Saturn’s moon Enceladus.

How long is a year on Enceladus?

33 hours
Enceladus/Orbital period

What two surprising discoveries did Cassini make about the tiger stripes on Enceladus?

Later observations would confirm that the tiger stripes were fissures in the surface, and the plumes’ point of escape. It wasn’t just the presence of the plume that was a surprise to the scientists, but the volume of material it was pushing out. “It was a complete surprise,” Spilker said.

How was Enceladus formed?

In the outer solar system, as Enceladus formed it grew as ice and rock coalesced. If Enceladus was able to gather greater amounts of rock, which contained radioactive elements, enough heat could have been generated by the decay of the radioactive elements in its interior to melt the body.

Who discovered Enceladus?

William Herschel
Enceladus/Discoverers

How deep is the ocean on Enceladus?

The ocean is about 25 miles/40km deep—according to NASA’s Cassini probe—which is vastly deeper than Earth’s ocean. “The pressure and temperature differences between the Enceladus ocean floor and the ice cap above must be tremendous,” writes astrobiologist Dr. Arik Kershenbaum in The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy.

What is Cassini doing on Enceladus?

Cassini is scheduled to make a close flyby of Enceladus on Oct. 28, in the mission’s deepest-ever dive through the moon’s active plume of icy material. The spacecraft will pass a mere 30 miles (49 kilometers) above the moon’s surface.

How long does it take Cassini to complete each orbit?

Each of these last 22 orbits took about six and a half days to complete. They began April 22 and ended Sept. 15. When Cassini was nearest to Saturn during each orbit, the spacecraft’s speed ranged between 75,000 and 78,000 miles per hour (121,000 and 126,000 kilometers per hour), depending on the orbit.

How many times has Cassini been around Saturn?

On February 3, 2010, NASA announced another extension for Cassini, lasting 6​ 1⁄ 2 years until 2017, ending at the time of summer solstice in Saturn’s northern hemisphere (Cassini Solstice Mission). The extension enabled another 155 revolutions around the planet, 54 flybys of Titan and 11 flybys of Enceladus.

Is there an ocean on Saturn’s moon Enceladus?

A global ocean lies beneath the icy crust of Saturn’s geologically active moon Enceladus, according to new research using data from NASA’s Cassini mission. Researchers found the magnitude of the moon’s very slight wobble, as it orbits Saturn, can only be accounted for if its outer ice shell is…