Astronomy Picture of the Day

Possible Methane Lakes on Titan


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zorg.ch
#91402 by @ 01.08.2006 00:00 - nach oben -
Possible Methane Lakes on Titan


Explanation:
Have methane lakes been discovered on Saturn's Titan?

That exciting possibility was uncovered from analyses of
radar images
returned last week by the
robotic Cassini spacecraft
now orbiting Saturn.

The
above image
is a radar reflection from terrain near Titan's North Pole and spans a region about 200 kilometers across.

Evidence
that the dark areas might be pools of liquid
hydrocarbons
includes an extreme smoothness implied by the lack of a return
radar signal, and apparently connected tributaries.

If true, Titan would be only the second body in our
Solar System, after
Earth, found to possess liquids on the surface.

Future observations from Cassini during
Titan flybys might test the
methane lake hypothesis,
as comparative wind affects on the regions are studied.





Credit & Copyright
zorg.ch
#91495 by @ 07.08.2006 13:21 - nach oben -
ich gseh i däm bild e grossi fresse, gseht wienes gspengscht us
zorg.ch
#91505 by @ 07.08.2006 15:05 - nach oben -
stimmt. und wenns einisch so agluegt hesch, gsesch gar nümme anders.