Titan is the second largest moon in the Solar System. (Ganymede, Jupiter's moon is number 1). Titan is the only moon that has an atmosphere with clouds and weather just like a planet. In fact, Titan is the most Earth like of any other worlds we have found. The atmosphere there is mostly nitrogen (95%) and methane (5%). There is an abundance of methane lakes on Titan and they are found near the Southern Pole. Scientists found that there was a feature in one of the lakes that looked like an island, but was really bubbling nitrogen that took on the form of an island. This moon has a "hydrological cycle" like Earth's "water cycle", so there is a climate, with rain, rivers and streams. Clouds of methane ice and cyanide gas float across the surface. Scientists question that maybe our Earth started out the very same way. The Sun is very far away so any weather that occurs is driven by the small amount of sunlight Titan receives, which means, Titan has seasons. This is a large hydrocarbon sea that has been named Ligeia Mare. Titan takes 15 days and 22 hours to orbit around Saturn. In fact Titan always shows the same face to Saturn just like our Moon does to Earth. It is locked into a "synchronous rotation". These pictures of Titan were posted in July 2018 in New Scientist. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2174691-spectacular-new-photos-of-titan-show-saturns-moon-like-never-before/ The detailed pictures come from a small satellite called Cassini. This little satellite's job was to take pictures of Saturn and its rings and moons. Cassini did not disappoint. The arrow is US! When taking pictures of Titan visible light did not allow us to see through the thick atmosphere surrounding Titan. Using infra-red cameras the pictures were astonishing. There is evidence that there are ice volcanoes on Titan. Cassini's final picture before it burned up like a meteor in the atmosphere of Saturn. The circle represents the spot Cassini was last seen before burning up. For 20 years Cassini crossed space taking pictures of Saturn and sending back images that will stay famous through time.
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |