Enceladus

Saturn · moon · ice world · solar system

Tiny but mighty. Enceladus is only about 500 kilometers across, making it roughly the size of a large asteroid. Despite being so small, it's the sixth-largest moon orbiting Saturn and the 18th largest in our entire solar system.

Covered in snow. This moon is blanketed in hundreds of meters of fresh, clean snow and ice. The thick coating makes Enceladus shine so brightly that it reflects more light than almost any other body in the solar system.

Freezing cold surface. Because Enceladus is covered in reflective white snow instead of dark rock, it stays incredibly cold. At noon, when the sun is brightest, the surface temperature only reaches negative 198 degrees Celsius, colder than most places in the solar system.

Young and old terrain. Enceladus has a surprising mix of surface features. Some regions are old and heavily cratered, while other areas are young and shaped by powerful tectonic forces that have wrinkled and deformed the icy crust.

Saturn's special moon. Among Saturn's many moons, Enceladus stands out because of its extreme brightness and diverse geology. It is much smaller than Titan, Saturn's largest moon, but geologically far more complex.