major moon · moon of Saturn
Enceladus
A brilliant white moon of Saturn that sprays water from a hidden ocean through cracks near its south pole.
- Distance from Earth today
- 1.28 billion km8.556 AU · light: 1 h 11 min
- Distance from the Sun today
- 1.41 billion km9.425 AU
- As of
- 2 November 2026position from NASA/JPL orbital elements
Where it is today
Top view of the plane of Earth’s orbit, compressed distance scale. Open on the big map with the time slider →
Facts
- Diameter
- 504 km
- Mass
- 108 × 10¹⁸ kg
- Density
- 1,610 kg/m³
- Mean distance from the planet
- 238,400 km
- Orbital period
- 32.9 h
- Orbital eccentricity
- 0.0050
- Orbital inclination
- 0.0°
Source of the figures: JPL SSD – Planetary Satellites (public domain).
Discovery: 1789 – William Herschel
Description
Enceladus is a small moon of Saturn with one of the most reflective surfaces in the Solar System, coated in fresh ice. Cassini discovered jets of water vapour and ice grains erupting from four long fractures near its south pole, nicknamed the "tiger stripes", which feed Saturn's broad E ring. By flying through these plumes, Cassini detected salts, silica and a range of organic molecules, showing that they come from a global ocean of liquid water in contact with a rocky core. That combination of water, energy and chemistry makes Enceladus one of the top targets in the search for life. William Herschel discovered it in 1789, and the Voyagers provided the first close-up views.