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| Credits: NASA spacecraft CASSINI |
CASSINI the unmanned spacecraft launched in 1997 to orbit planet SATURN and its multiple MOONS has arrived, 7 years later, to Saturn system in 2004.
Since then, Saturn and its many natural satellites have been studied and observed as well as their heliosphere, testing the famous Einstein theory of relativity.
On its way, Cassini captured this still and partially sunlit ENCELADUS, a Saturnian MOON covered in ice that reflects sunlight similar to freshly fallen snow, making ENCELADUS one of the most reflective objects in the solar system. The blue color in this false-color image indicates larger-than-average ice particles. The moon's surface is decorated with fractures, folds and ridges caused by tectonic stresses.
The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 7, 2010, using filters sensitive to ultraviolet, visible and infrared light.
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