Cassini radar peers through Titan clouds
Posted: Fri, Oct 29, 2004, 8:54 PM ET (0054 GMT)
Radar images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft have revealed that the surface of the moon Titan is complex and relatively young, scientists said Friday. Radar images of regions of Titan's northern hemisphere, taken by Cassini when it flew past the moon on Tuesday, discerned features as small as 300 meters across. Those images revealed a large, dark — and hence smooth — region that could be a lake, although scientists said there wasn't enough data to reach a firm conclusion. Both radar and optical images showed very few craters, suggesting that the surface is very young, perhaps because of volcanic or other geologic activity. Optical images showed streaks that could be related to moving ice sheets or flowing liquid hydrocarbons. Cassini is scheduled to make its next flyby of Titan on December 13; the European-built Huygens probe will enter Titan's atmosphere in mid-January.
Radar images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft have revealed that the surface of the moon Titan is complex and relatively young, scientists said Friday. Radar images of regions of Titan's northern hemisphere, taken by Cassini when it flew past the moon on Tuesday, discerned features as small as 300 meters across. Those images revealed a large, dark — and hence smooth — region that could be a lake, although scientists said there wasn't enough data to reach a firm conclusion. Both radar and optical images showed very few craters, suggesting that the surface is very young, perhaps because of volcanic or other geologic activity. Optical images showed streaks that could be related to moving ice sheets or flowing liquid hydrocarbons. Cassini is scheduled to make its next flyby of Titan on December 13; the European-built Huygens probe will enter Titan's atmosphere in mid-January.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, June 26
Massive X-ray blasts, thousands of black holes revealed; a universe in a computer and more: Next generation astronomers win national recognition
Science in Public — 11:43 am ET (1543 GMT) Airbus delivers third radar for Copernicus´ Sentinel-1 mission with a world premiere
Airbus Group — 11:42 am ET (1542 GMT) Speakers and Program Announced for the 2022 AMOS Conference
AMOS — 11:41 am ET (1541 GMT) A Long History of Flowing Water Recorded in Clay-Bearing Sediments on Mars
PSI — 11:29 am ET (1529 GMT) Inmarsat issues far-reaching report to enhance sustainability, reduce satellite debris and strengthen regulation in space
Inmarsat — 11:29 am ET (1529 GMT) |
