The dichotomy between northern and southern regions of Saturn's moon Enceladus – See pic

New Delhi: Saturn's icy moon Enceladus is a world divided, according to NASA scientists behind the Cassini mission.

Latest image from NASA's Cassini spacecraft reveals that the northern region of Enceladus has a cratered surface, whereas the southern region of the moon has a smoother, wrinkled surface.

See the full view below - Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

“To the north, we see copious amounts of craters and evidence of the many impacts the moon has suffered in its history. However, to the south we see a smoother body with wrinkles due to geologic activity,” said NASA.

“Most solar system bodies lacking an atmosphere are heavily cratered like Enceladus' northern region. However, the geologic activity in the south, including the famous plume above the moon's south pole, can erase craters and leave a younger, smoother-looking surface,” added NASA.

 

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on November 27, 2016.

NASA says the view, which looks toward the anti-Saturn hemisphere of Enceladus, was obtained at a distance of approximately 41,000 miles (66,000 kilometers) from the Saturn's moon.