Enceladus Facts for Kids

A Picture of Saturn's Moon Enceladus
  • Moon Name: Enceladus
  • Formed: About 4.5 billion years ago
  • Discovered: August 28, 1789, by William Herschel
  • Distance from Saturn: Between 147,214 miles (perigee) and 148,605 miles (apogee)
  • Distance from the Sun: Around 886,500,000 miles
  • Time to Orbit Around Saturn: Less than two Earth Days
  • Total Surface Area: 496,256 square miles

14 Enceladus Facts for Kids

  1. Enceladus formed about 4.5 billion years ago.
  2. Enceladus was discovered on August 28, 1789, by William Herschel.
  3. Enceladus is one of Saturn’s 82 known moons (natural satellites).
  4. Enceladus is the sixth largest moon of Saturn.
  5. Enceladus has a radius of about 156 miles.
  6. The closest Enceladus gets to Saturn is 147,214 miles (perigee).
  7. The farthest Enceladus to gets from Saturn is 148,605 miles (apogee).
  8. It takes Enceladus less than two Earth days to orbit Saturn.
  9. The surface of Enceladus is covered by fresh ice, which makes it one of the most reflective moons in our Solar System.
  10. Enceladus is constantly contributing to Saturn’s E ring via ice particles escaping its jet plumes.
  11. Enceladus has ice sheets that are between 20 to 25 miles thick.
  12. Underneath Enceladus’s ice sheets is lots and lots of water.
  13. Complex macromolecular organics were detected in a jet plume from Enceladus in 2018.
  14. It’s possible Enceladus could or could have evolved life.

Additional Resources on Saturn’s Moon Enceladus