                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

                         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.

                                 2019 March 9
                                      [2]
                              Crescent Enceladus
  Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team [3] , SSI [4] , JPL [5] , ESA [6] , NASA
                                      [7]

Explanation: Peering from the shadows, the Saturn-facing hemisphere of
tantalizing [8] inner moon Enceladus poses in this Cassini spacecraft image.
North [9]  is up in the dramatic scene [10]  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 [11] . A mere 500 kilometers in diameter,
Enceladus is [12]  a surprisingly active moon. Data collected during Cassini's
flybys and years of images have revealed the presence of remarkable south
polar geysers [13]  and a possible global ocean [14]  of liquid water beneath
an icy crust.

                  Tomorrow's picture: moon image impossible

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
< [15] | Archive [16] | Submissions [17] | Index [18] | Search [19] | Calendar
  [20] | RSS [21] | Education [22] | About APOD [23] | Discuss [24] | > [25]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [26] (MTU [27] ) & Jerry Bonnell [28]
                                  (UMCP [29] )
          NASA Official:  Phillip Newman Specific rights apply [30] .
              NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices [31]
              A service of: ASD [32]  at NASA [33]  / GSFC [34]
                           & Michigan Tech. U. [35]
----------
Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1903/PIA20522enceladus.jpg
  [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] ap151021.html
  [10] http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20522
  [11] ap050224.html
  [12] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/cassini/science/ enceladus/
  [13] ap091124.html
  [14] http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4718
  [15] ap190308.html
  [16] archivepix.html
  [17] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [18] lib/aptree.html
  [19] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  [20] calendar/allyears.html
  [21] /apod.rss
  [22] lib/edlinks.html
  [23] lib/about_apod.html
  [24] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=190309
  [25] ap190310.html
  [26] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [27] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [28] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [29] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [30] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [31] http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  [32] http://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [33] http://www.nasa.gov/
  [34] http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [35] http://www.mtu.edu/
