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Bruce Murray Space Image Library

Enceladus: light from many sources

Enceladus: light from many sources
Enceladus: light from many sources In this unusual photo, Enceladus is lit by the Sun as a very thin crescent. Saturnshine illuminates part of its nightside. Light scattered by the icy particles of the E ring brightens the background. The south polar plumes scatter sunshine as well, making a fuzz at the bottom of the crescent. In the background, a few stars make streaks in this long-exposure Cassini image, which was taken on 18 February 2005. NASA / JPL-Caltech / SSI

The fully enlarged version has 2 times the resolution of the original data. Click here for a publication quality PNG.