Titan has lakes of liquid methane
Scientists report definitive evidence of the
presence of lakes filled with liquid methane on Saturn’s moon Titan in
this week’s journal Nature cover story.
Scientists report definitive evidence of the presence of
lakes filled with liquid methane on Saturn’s moon Titan in this
week’s journal Nature cover story. Radar imaging data from a July 22,
2006, flyby provide convincing evidence for large bodies of liquid on Titan
today. A new false-color radar view gives a taste of what Cassini
saw.
Colorized radar image
-Some lakes appear partly dry, while others seem liquid-filled. Some of the partly filled lakes may never have filled fully, or may have partly evaporated at some point in the past. The dry lakes have margins or rims and a radar brightness similar to the rest of the surrounding terrain, making them appear devoid of liquid.
-The varying states of how full the lakes are suggest that lakes in this region of Titan might be temporary on some unknown timescale.
Seems to me the first time I saw this view was in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Arthur Clarke probably was the first extra-terrestrial to work in Earth cinema.
Posted: Thu - January 4, 2007 at 06:16 AM