Titan s Land of Lakes
Explanation:
Saturn's large moon Titan
would be unique in our solar system, the
only world with
stable liquid
lakes and seas on its surface ... except for
planet Earth of course.
Centered on the north pole,
this
colorized map shows Titan's
bodies of methane and ethane in blue and black, still
liquid
at frigid surface temperatures of -180 degrees C (-292 degrees F).
The map is based on data from the Cassini spacecraft's radar, taken during
flybys between
2004 and 2013.
Roughly heart-shaped, the lake above and right of the pole is
Ligeia Mare, the second largest known body of liquid on Titan and larger
than
Lake
Superior on Earth.
Just below the north pole is Punga Mare.
The sprawling sea below and right of Punga is the
(hopefully sleeping)
Kraken Mare, Titan's largest
known sea.
Above and left of the pole,
the moon's surface is dotted with smaller lakes
that range up to 50 kilometers across.
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.
