Enceladus closeups sent home by Cassini spacecraft after geyser dive

NASA's Cassini spacecraft has sent home stunning images of Saturn's moon Enceladus captured during a daring flyby that took it through one of the moon's icy geysers.

• Bob McDonald:Forget life on Mars, how about life inside moons?

• Saturn moon Enceladus's north pole captured in stunning detail

Cassini passed within 50kilometres of the moon's south polar region on Wednesday, diving through one of the plumes of gas and icy particles spewing from Enceladus's surface.

In the process, it collected samples that scientists hope will provide information about the composition of the ocean under Enceladus's icy shell and any hydrothermal activity on the ocean floor. The results could provide information about whether Enceladus has the potential to support life.

Scientists say it will take several weeks for Cassini to analyze the samples with its gas analyzer and dust detector instruments.

Cassini's final Enceladus flyby takes place on Dec. 19at a distance of about5,000kilometres, to measure the amount of heat coming from the moon's interior.