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
|
|
Starship explodes during preparations for static-fire test
Posted: Sun, Jun 22 6:52 AM ET (1052 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Saturday, July 5
Huge cost of my trip, what I saw – First Nigerian in space, Owolabi Salis
Punch (Nigeria) — 9:38 am ET (1338 GMT) Owolabi Salis Describes Travel to Space as ‘A Spiritual Journey,’ Urges African Youth to Explore Beyond Earth
Arise News — 9:37 am ET (1337 GMT) CoinDCX co-founder partners with ISRO scientists to launch Astrobase, raises $10 Mn
Entrackr — 9:37 am ET (1337 GMT) ISRO conducts student interactions with Gaganyatri onboard ISS
ISRO — 9:32 am ET (1332 GMT) Shux in space: ISRO's Shubhanshu Shukla conducts bone, radiation, and microgravity experiments on ISS
The Economic Times (India) — 9:31 am ET (1331 GMT) |
