Enceladus' active South Pole (1)

Plumes of icy material extend above the Southern Polar Region of Enceladus, as imaged by the Cassini spacecraft in February 2005. The monochrome view is presented along with a color-coded version on the right. The latter reveals a fainter and much more extended plume component.
Images like these are being analyzed by scientists as they seek to explain the processes that could be producing such incredible features. As reported in the journal Science on March 10, 2006, imaging scientists believe that the plumes are geysers erupting from pressurized subsurface reservoirs of liquid water above 273 degrees Kelvin (0° C.).

Another plume view was taken 1 month earlier and looks broadside at the moon's prominent "Tiger Stripe" fractures. In the January view, the plume appears to have a single component. The February view looks along the Tiger Stripe fractures and reveals both a large and a small component to the plume; the smaller, fainter component is separated from the main plume by about 100 Km.