spacetoday.net: Lake of liquid ethane detected on Titan

Posted: Thu, Jul 31, 2008, 10:40 PM ET (0240 GMT)
Cassini image of Ontario Lacus (NASA/JPL)

Scientists analyzing data from the Cassini spacecraft reported this week that they have discovered liquid ethane in one of the lakes spotted in the south polar regions of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. The lake, dubbed Ontario Lacus and slightly larger than Lake Ontario on Earth, contains ethane in a liquid solution with methane, other hydrocarbons, and nitrogen, according to data from Cassini's visual and mapping instrument. Scientists had long believed that liquid hydrocarbons could exist on the surface of Titan, although earlier observations ruled out the existence of a global ocean of such chemicals. Cassini's radar, able to peer through titan's dense clouds, has detected hundreds of lake-sized bodies, although this is the first time the composition of one of those features was measured.