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Bruce Murray Space Image Library

Enceladan south polar vents and plumes

Enceladan south polar vents and plumes
Enceladan south polar vents and plumes This mosaic consists of two frames on Enceladus' south pole, captured by Cassini during its close flyby on 21 November 2009. Plumes issue from all four of the large "tiger stripes" at Enceladus' south pole—from left to right, they trace out Alexandria, Cairo, Baghdad, and, at the extreme right edge, Damascus sulci. Only a tiny sliver of Enceladus is sunlit; the plumes are visible on the nightside of Enceladus where they have reached high enough elevations to rise out of nightside shadow and receive sunlight. A concentric circular feature lies between Alexandria and Cairo sulci. It may be a chance alignment of fractures, or it may represent some geologic feature, either exogenic (an impact scar) or endogenic (a plume or sink of some sort). Further research is necessary! NASA / JPL-Caltech / SSI / mosaic by Emily Lakdawalla