Enceladus is the sixth-largest of Saturn's many moons, as well as one of its innermost orbiting satellites. Enceladus was discovered first by Sir William Herschel in 1789 and then studied more thoroughly by the Voyager and Cassini-Huygens spacecrafts. Cassini-Huygens: Enceladus The terrain of Enceladus is relatively varied and has at least five distinct types.Nineplanets.org: Enceladus Its overall temperature is extremely low due to the fact that it reflects almost 100% of the sunlight that hits it. Cassini-Huygens: Enceladus

Due to the discovery of a water-rich plume in the moon's southern region and evidence of its continuing geological activity, scientists and astronomers have begun to focus on Enceladus as a planetary body that may be able to give us clues about the possibility of life in other parts of the galaxy. A recent study of the water plume has revealed the presence of organic molecules and pre-biotic material in the plume's composition, leading researchers to suspect the possibility of organic life in the region. MSNBC: Seeds of life found near Saturn (March 26, 2008)