The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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This artist's concept shows the detection of an atmosphere on Saturn's icy moon Enceladus. The NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini spacecraft's magnetometer instrument (MAG) is designed to measure the magnitude and direction of the magnetic fields of Saturn and its moons. During Cassini's two close fly-bys of Enceladus (17 February and 9 March) the instrument detected a bending of the magnetic field around Enceladus.
The picture shows the magnetic field observed by Cassini along its trajectory plotted in a vector form. Even though the spacecraft altitude was almost 500 kilometres at closest approach and the fly-by was upstream of the moon (where the interaction is expected to be weaker) Cassini's magnetometer observed a bending of the magnetic field which is consistent with its 'draping' around a conducting object, i.e. a moon with an atmosphere. This indicates that the Saturnian plasma is being diverted away from an extended atmosphere.