Crescent Enceladus
Peering from the shadows, the
Saturn-facing hemisphere of
tantalizing inner moon Enceladus
poses in this Cassini spacecraft image.
North is up in
the
dramatic scene captured during November 2016 as
Cassini's camera was pointed in a nearly sunward direction
about 130,000 kilometers from the moon's bright crescent.
In fact, the distant world reflects over 90 percent of the sunlight
it receives, giving its surface about the same reflectivity as
fresh snow.
A mere 500 kilometers in diameter,
Enceladus is a surprisingly
active moon.
Data and images collected during Cassini's flybys have revealed
water vapor and ice grains spewing
from south polar geysers and evidence of an
ocean of liquid water hidden beneath
the moon's icy crust.