               APOD: 2018 February 15 - Enceladus in Silhouette

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                               2018 February 15
                                      [2]
                           Enceladus in Silhouette
  Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team [3] , SSI [4] , JPL [5] , ESA [6] , NASA
                                      [7]

Explanation: One of our Solar System's most tantalizing [8] worlds, Enceladus
is backlit by the Sun in this Cassini spacecraft image [9] from November 1,
2009. The dramatic illumination reveals the plumes that continuously spew into
space from the south pole of Saturn's 500 kilometer diameter moon [10] .
Discovered by Cassini in 2005, the icy plumes are likely connected to an ocean
beneath the ice shell [11]  of Enceladus. They supply material directly to
Saturn's outer, tenuous E ring [12]  and make the surface of Enceladus as
reflective as snow. Across the scene, Saturn's icy rings scatter sunlight
toward Cassini's cameras. Beyond the rings, the night side of 80 kilometer
diameter moon Pandora [13] is faintly lit by Saturnlight [14] .

                   Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space [15]

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [27] (MTU [28] ) & Jerry Bonnell [29]
                                  (UMCP [30] )
          NASA Official:  Phillip Newman Specific rights apply [31] .
              NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices [32]
              A service of: ASD [33]  at NASA [34]  / GSFC [35]
                           & Michigan Tech. U. [36]
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1802/PIA17144EnceladusPandora.png
  [3] http://ciclops.org/
  [4] http://www.spacescience.org/
  [5] http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
  [6] http://www.esa.int/
  [7] http://www.nasa.gov/
  [8] ap140919.html
  [9] https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/ catalog/?IDNumber=PIA17144
  [10] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/saturn-moons/enceladus/ in-depth/
  [11] http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017EPSC...11..501C
  [12] ap070327.html
  [13] ap170103.html
  [14] ap170316.html
  [15] ap180216.html
  [16] ap1802014html
  [17] archivepix.html
  [18] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [19] lib/aptree.html
  [20] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  [21] calendar/allyears.html
  [22] /apod.rss
  [23] lib/edlinks.html
  [24] lib/about_apod.html
  [25] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=180215
  [26] ap180216.html
  [27] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [28] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [29] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [30] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [31] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [32] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  [33] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [34] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [35] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [36] http://www.mtu.edu/
