Spacecraft reveals 'gigantic oceans on Titan'
By CLAIRE BATES
14th March 2007
It was long suspected that Saturn's ice moon Titan had oceans, and now scientists have finally found the evidence.
NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which has been orbiting the moon, took radar images of very dark features near Titan's North Pole.
The Cassini radar image (left) shows one of Titan's seas is larger than Lake Superior (right)
The largest potential sea measures 39,000 square miles. And because the radar only caught a portion of the feature, it is likely to be far larger.
Titan as seen from a probe
Scientists believe the seas could be made from a combination of methane and ethane because researchers have already discovered these gasses in the thick hazy clouds of Titan's atmosphere.
An image from the surface of Titan
"We've long hypothesised about oceans on Titan and now with multiple instruments we have a first indication of seas," Dr Jonathan Lunine, Cassini scientist at the University of Arizona said.
"While there is no definitive proof yet that these seas contain liquid, their shape, their dark appearance in radar that indicates smoothness, and their other properties point to the presence of liquids."
The Cassini team now plans to re-point the orbiter's radar instrument during a May flyby so that it can pass directly over the large dark features imaged by the cameras.
Titan is the second largest moon in the solar system and 50 per cent larger than Earth's moon.
dailymail.co.uk
By CLAIRE BATES
14th March 2007
It was long suspected that Saturn's ice moon Titan had oceans, and now scientists have finally found the evidence.
NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which has been orbiting the moon, took radar images of very dark features near Titan's North Pole.
The Cassini radar image (left) shows one of Titan's seas is larger than Lake Superior (right)
The largest potential sea measures 39,000 square miles. And because the radar only caught a portion of the feature, it is likely to be far larger.
Titan as seen from a probe
Scientists believe the seas could be made from a combination of methane and ethane because researchers have already discovered these gasses in the thick hazy clouds of Titan's atmosphere.
An image from the surface of Titan
"We've long hypothesised about oceans on Titan and now with multiple instruments we have a first indication of seas," Dr Jonathan Lunine, Cassini scientist at the University of Arizona said.
"While there is no definitive proof yet that these seas contain liquid, their shape, their dark appearance in radar that indicates smoothness, and their other properties point to the presence of liquids."
The Cassini team now plans to re-point the orbiter's radar instrument during a May flyby so that it can pass directly over the large dark features imaged by the cameras.
Titan is the second largest moon in the solar system and 50 per cent larger than Earth's moon.
dailymail.co.uk
