Is it snowing microbes...

on Enceladus?

Saturn's largest moon...

seen in unprecedented detail.

Sand grains of frozen hydrocarbons...

form enormous dune fields on Titan.  And here's a previous related post about the most Earth-like body in the solar system.

Simply breathtaking...

Best viewed full screen on a nice HD monitor.  No fancy or faked computer graphics here.  This video is compiled from real, high resolution images taken by the Casinni spacecraft.

Both sublime and surreal.  Enjoy.

A fizzy ocean...

on Enceladus?

Tiger stripes on Enceladus...

as seen in the infrared seem to coincide with the fractures that release jets of water vapor and ice particles (click to enlarge).  Here's the full story:  Cassini Finds Warm Cracks on Enceladus.

RELATED: Cassini Captures Bright Jets At Enceladus.

Saturnian aurora...

captured by Cassini in this false-color image of the south polar region of the ringed planet (click to enlarge).  Read more about the new views here.

Karst topography hypothesized...

on Titan: Is That Saturn's Moon Titan or Utah?

Hmm, perhaps. But I don't agree that White Canyon, Utah is representative of karst topography at all. The interesting area certainly hosts an array of classic slot canyons (I've engaged in canyoneering in some of them) but there's no significant limestone and/or gypsum present. Here's the geologic map and stratigraphic column for your perusal.

Plethora of plumes...

and hot spots on Enceladus.

Previous related post.

A visual encyclopedia...

of Enceladus, one of the most intriguing moons in the solar system, in an image gallery at Wired.com.

Water on Enceladus confirmed...

by Cassini: Cassini detection adds to Enceladus liquid water story.

Previous related post.

Cassini to continue...

its explorations to 2017: NASA Extends Cassini's Tour of Saturn. (Click image to enlarge to a stunning high resolution version.)

Saturnian moon ballet...

Video credit: NASA/JPL.

Animation of recent Casinni flyby...

of Enceladus shows the spacecraft approaching the backlit geyser-like fountains that spew from fractures in the icy crust near the south polar region of this tiny moon of Saturn. Check out the previous related post that describes this flyby that occurred on 21 November 2009 and provides links to other stunning images.

Very cooool.

Image credit: four-frame animation by Gordan Ugarkovic via The Planetary Society.

Raw images of Enceladus...

from the recent flyby by the Cassini spacecraft on 21 November show a fresh, non-cratered, icy surface with countless pressure ridges (click to enlarge).

Here's the link to more raw images: Enceladus Rev 121 Flyby Raw Preview.

Icy plumes of Enceladus...

are seen backlit by the Sun in a recent flyby that occurred on 2 November 2009 (click to enlarge to full resolution). This image was taken while the spacecraft was ~190,000 km from the moon, but at its closest approach it flew merely ~100 km (62 mi) above the surface.

The misty fountains jetting from the south polar region of the diminutive Saturnian moon are believed to be water ice and contain significant amounts of ammonia and sodium. The purpose of this flyby (the seventh) was to gauge the size, mass, charge, velocity and composition of the particles within the geyser-like plume.

This odd world - allowing for the temperature difference - is Yellowstone on steroids.

Image credit: NASA/Cassini team.

Stunning images of Saturn...

and its moons: a gallery of images in high resolution detail.

Did I say stunning?

Hydrocarbon rains...

may fill lakes on Titan, the largest moon orbiting Saturn. The Cassini team has released this statement that describes seasonal changes taking place near the south pole of the body. Follow this link to see the imagery that supports the conclusion that methane rain seasonally fills these intermittent lakes with liquid methane.

Instead of a water cycle it's a hydrocarbon cycle. Just don't smoke if you visit Titan.