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Beneath the Mask, Titan looks Surprisingly Smooth and Youthful
Caption: Images from the Cassini mission show methane river networks draining into lakes in Titan’s north polar region. Credit: NASA/JPL/USG
Saturn’s largest moon, Titan has long been hidden beneath the thick shroud of its methane- and nitrogen-rich atmosphere. That all changed in 2004 when NASA’s Cassini mission was able to penetrate the haze and sent back detailed radar images of the surface. These showed an icy terrain, carved over millions of years, by rivers similar to those found here on Earth. However Titan’s surface doesn’t look as old and weather-beaten as it should. The rivers have caused surprisingly little erosion and there are fewer impact craters than would be expected. So what is the secret to Titan’s youthful complexion? (…)
Read the rest of Beneath the Mask, Titan looks Surprisingly Smooth and Youthful (421 words)
© Jenny Winder for Universe Today, 2012. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Cassini, Saturn, Solar System
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