News Planetary Science

A moon with atmosphere

By Ron Cowen

- More than 2 years ago

Saturn’s tiny moon Enceladus has an atmosphere containing water vapor, observations by the Cassini spacecraft reveal. The source of the atmosphere could be icy volcanic eruptions, geysers, or gases escaping from the frigid moon’s surface, NASA announced March 16.

MOON VAPORS. Atmosphere on Saturn’s moon Enceladus deflects the planet’s magnetic field, as depicted by an artist.