Flying by of Saturn's moon Enceladus

Monday, Nov. 2, 2009, The Cassini spacecraft flew by Saturn's moon Enceladus sending images and data of the encounter back to Earth. The spacecraft passed about 120,000 miles over the Saturn¡¦s moon. At its closest point, Cassini flew about 60 miles above the surface of Enceladus.This passage took the spacecraft on its deepest plunge yet through the

heart of the plume shooting out from the South Polar Region. Sunlight brightens a crescent curve along the edge of Saturn's moon Enceladus and highlights its misty plume.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute