Saturn's moon Enceladus hoves into view in this image taken just 47 kilometres above its surface.
On 9 October, the Cassini spacecraft passed within about 25 kilometres of the moon on its closest approach — the nearest it has come to any moon during the mission. The trajectory took it straight through the icy plume that shoots out, geyser-like, from near the south pole of Enceladus.
This time, unlike during a close approach in March, the cosmic-dust analyser aboard Cassini worked properly and collected data on the particles of ice and water vapour that make up the geyser.
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Cassini makes successful swoop on Enceladus. Nature 455, 849 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/455849f
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/455849f
