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.

A wet world...

not far from Earth.

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?

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.

Cassini to continue...

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

Fifth anniversary of the...

successful landing on Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, occurs today. The soft-landed Huygens probe returned the first image from the surface of the haze-shrouded moon that revealed frozen hydrocarbon pebbles (click to enlarge).

Read more here about this fascinating place in our solar system which is "the only object other than Earth for which clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid has been found."

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.

Icy hydrocarbon lakes...

on Titan "are loaded with acetylene, a chemical some scientists say could serve as food for cold-resistant organisms" according to a new study.

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.

Smoothest surface...

in the solar system: Saturn moon's mirror-smooth lake 'good for skipping rocks'. Key bits:

"The largest lake on Saturn's moon Titan is as smooth as a mirror, varying in height by less than 3 millimetres [across a 235 km distance], a new study shows."

"Spectral data also showed that the apparent lakes seem to be filled with methane and ethane, which would be liquid on Titan's frigid surface. And "geomorphologically, they just look like lakes", Zebker says."

Here's the technical abstract.

Rings of Saturn...

will disappear from view on 11 August when a ring-plane crossing event occurs. This ~15 year periodic occurrence is due to when the tilt and position of the planet in its orbit combine to allow Earthling astronomers a unique side-on view of the rings. The last time this occurred was on 22 May 1995 as shown in this image. No worries, though, as the rings will reappear by the time Saturn returns to the night skies for telescopic examination in the spring of 2010.

In the meantime, use this occasion to learn more about Saturn and its ring system. In my opinion it is the most beautiful object in the night sky when observed in a telescope. Don't ever miss an opportunity to take a peek.

UPDATE: Mysterious Object Rips Through One of Saturn's Rings

Cassini finds new evidence...

for a liquid interior of the Saturnian moon Enceladus. Moreover, spectroscopic analysis of the icy plumes show that ammonia is a prime constituent. Here's the technical abstract.

Sodium salts detected...

in the water and ice fountains of Enceladus, a moon of Saturn. This strongly suggests that there is a liquid, salty ocean beneath a frozen crust that could support life.