NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for November 5, 2026 features a Cassini spacecraft image, taken November 1, 2009, of Enceladus backlit by the Sun. According to the accompanying explanation, the backlighting reveals plumes continuously spewing into space from the south pole of Saturn's 500 kilometer diameter moon.

Cassini discovered the icy plumes in 2005. The explanation says they are likely connected to an ocean beneath Enceladus's ice shell, supply material directly to Saturn's outer, tenuous E ring, and make the moon's surface as reflective as snow.

In the scene, Saturn's icy rings scatter sunlight toward Cassini's cameras. Beyond the rings in the lower right, the night side of Pandora, a moon 80 kilometers in diameter, is faintly lit by Saturnlight. The image is credited to the Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA and NASA.