August 28, 2023
On this date in 1789, William Herschel discovered Saturn’s sixth largest moon Enceladus. Herschel used his famous “Great Forty-Foot” telescope – with a 48-inch diameter – for the initial discovery. It wasn’t until the Voyager missions that humans were able to get a more detailed look at Enceladus. Recent studies show that Phosphorus – a key element for life as we know it – exists in the subsurface oceans and icy plumes of Enceladus.
This photo, taken by Cassini in October 2008, shows the deeply cracked icy surface of Enceladus. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute