First global map of Titan highlights oceans, plains, dunes and mountains

Science

by differentimpulse - November 19, 2019

In some ways, the most Earth-like world in our solar system (other than Earth, obviously) is Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. And now, astronomers from NASA JPL and Arizona State University have used years of Cassini data to construct the first global map of Titan.From space, Titan just looks like a

Flying on Saturn’s moon Titan: what we could discover with NASA’s new Dragonfly mission

Science

by differentimpulse - July 4, 2019

Flying on other worlds is the next leap in the exploration of our solar system. The Mars Helicopter will piggyback on the NASA Mars 2020 rover mission to demonstrate the technology. But this is only the start. The real prize will be the Dragonfly mission in 2026, sending a drone

Titan’s deep lakes more Earth-like than previously thought

Science

by differentimpulse - April 16, 2019

A near-infrared, color mosaic from NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows the sun glinting off of Titan's north polar seas

If you're planning to go boating on Saturn's moon Titan, bring your lengthier anchor cables. Based on radar data returned by NASA's Cassini orbiter in April 2017 during its final flyby, researchers have determined that the small methane lakes set on hills in the northern hemisphere of Titan are over

Titan’s oddly thick atmosphere may come from cooked organic compounds

Science

by David Harris - February 1, 2019February 1, 2019

HAZY HAVEN Titan may get its hazy atmosphere (shown in natural color in this image from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft) from organic molecules warmed by the decay of radioactive elements in the moon’s core.

Titan may have a home-baked atmosphere.Saturn’s largest moon gets some of its thick atmosphere by cooking organic molecules in a warm core, a new study suggests.The decay of radioactive elements may warm Titan’s core from within, splitting nitrogen and carbon off from complex organic molecules. Once free, those elements can