Explanation: It's been raining on Titan. In fact, it's likely been raining methane on Titan and that's not an April Fools' joke. The almost familiar scene depicted in this artist's vision of the surface of Saturn's largest moon looks across an eroding landscape into a stormy sky. That scenario is consistent with seasonal rain storms temporarily darkening Titan's surface along the moon's equatorial regions, as seen by instruments onboard the Cassini spacecraft. Of course on frigid Titan, with surface temperatures of about -290 degrees F (-180 degrees C), the cycle of evaporation, cloud formation, and rain involves liquid methane instead of water. Lightning could also be possible in Titan's thick, nitrogen-rich atmosphere.

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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.

Publikacii s klyuchevymi slovami: Titan - methane - cassini spacecraft - Titan - kosmicheskie apparaty Publikacii so slovami: Titan - methane - cassini spacecraft - Titan - kosmicheskie apparaty
Sm. takzhe: Polumesyac Encelada Vidy Titana Saturn v infrakrasnom svete ot "Kassini" Titan: sputnik nad Saturnom Morya na Titane otrazhayut solnechnyi svet Sled vozvrashaemoi kapsuly Severnoe leto na Titane Vse publikacii na tu zhe temu >>