Enceladus sprays a constant plume of material into space from fractures at its south pole

Icy shell

Global

ocean

Rocky

core

Likely

hydrothermal

activity

Fractures

Plume of ice particles, water

vapour and organic molecules

Icy exterior shell

Global ocean of liquid water

Rocky core

Likely hydrothermal activity

Fractures in the ice crust

Plume of ice particles, water

vapour and organic molecules

Guardian graphic. Source & image: NASA/JPL-Caltech. Thickness of layers based on current understanding, as of Aug 2017