Cyclones on the icy moon of Saturn - Titan

Astronomer studies the possibility of the origin of cyclones over the surface of the largest moon of Saturn - Titan, indicating some similarities to the weather with the Earth. Saturn's moon Titan, whose surface is so cold that methane falls on her in the form of rain in the summer raises its temperature so that makes it possible for cyclone zipping above the seas. Marine evaporation is able to generate enough energy to produce wind, moving at a speed of 70 kilometers per hour. However, the formation of cyclones totally depends on what is the chemical composition of the seas of Titan.

Titan glows in the dark

Picture of the largest of Saturn's Titan, made ​​by NASA's Cassini spacecraft in the dark, showed a mysterious glow of Titan's atmosphere.

If you were standing on the surface of Titan, you would not notice this glow, as his power is only a few millionths of a watt. The scientists were able to fix this weak light with a camera apparatus Cassini, allowing you to take pictures with a long exposure.

The first landing on Titan was movidito

On January 14, 2005 was a historic day. The European probe Huygens became the first human relic to land on one of the world’s most charming solar system: Titan. Seven years after the ESA scientists have renovate the sequence of impact with the surface using computer models and simulations with real models, finding that it was a bit rougher than expected.

Scientists recommend sailing the seas of Titan

The concept of a new mission to discover Saturn's largest moon is a machine capable of driving on the surface of Titan on the wheels, and then turn the boat and walk with blades and propeller on hydrocarbon seas second largest satellite solar system.

The mission of "Cassini-Hyuygens" Titan is actively studied in the 2000s, was able to stay a short time on the surface of its seas.

The new mission, called Titan Lake In-situ Sampling Propelled Explorer will land in the middle of the largest lake in Titan's called Sea Ligei will float to the coast, along the way making scientific measurements. The expedition will last from six months to a year.

A hidden ocean on Titan

The Cassini has shown that Titan, a satellite of Saturn, experiences significant tidal effects on its surface. In the course of its orbit, which lasts 16 days, changes shape: the closer is the gas giant tends to of a rugby ball while closer to a sphere at the farthest point from Saturn. This variation leads to a redistribution of mass and a change in the gravitational field. This is what Cassini measured, thanks to whose data has been concluded that in order to explain the tides experienced, Titan must have a liquid ocean, probably water under the surface.

A type of natural gas in Titan's poles in Saturn

Scientists had already spotted lakes of methane, a type of natural gas in Titan's poles, but so far none had been found in its equatorial regions, which are mostly arid and vast expanses of dunes.

"It was totally unexpected, because the lakes are not stable in tropical latitudes," said Caitlin Griffith of the University of Arizona, director of the team responsible for the finding.