VIMS composition maps of the icy Saturnian satellite Enceladus

Abstract

Since its arrival in the Saturnian system the Cassini spacecraft had been performed several close flybys at Saturn’s icy satellite Enceladus. During these flybys the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) measured the satellites’ surface properties in the visible and near infrared wavelength range. Especially, distinct variations regarding the particle sizes of water ice were identified. It is essential to attribute the surface properties to their geographic location as well as to relate them to their specific geological and geo-morphological context in order to interpret the distribution of the particle sizes properly and to identify the geological processes responsible for their existence. Therefore, composition maps derived from particle size analyses of VIMS observations were geometrically re-projected, combined into VIMS mosaics and co-registered to Cassini-ISS base maps offering the geological and geo-morphological context. Global and regional maps of Enceladus will be presented.