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.
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.
