Cassini Watches Starlight Through Enceladus’ Plume

On March 11, 2016, Cassini’s Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) will watch as the plume of gas and icy particles from the moon Enceladus passes in front of the central star in Orion’s Belt. Such observations, known as stellar occultations, provide information about the density and composition of the plume. Enceladus will pass in front of Epsilon Orionis, and UVIS will watch as the light from the star is altered as it passes through the plume. Enceladus will be 536,000 miles (923,000 kilometers) from Ca