Search Publications
Possible tropical lakes on Titan from observations of dark terrain
Tomasko, Martin G.; Brown, Robert H.; Griffith, Caitlin A. +5 more
Titan has clouds, rain and lakes--like Earth--but composed of methane rather than water. Unlike Earth, most of the condensable methane (the equivalent of 5 m depth globally averaged) lies in the atmosphere. Liquid detected on the surface (about 2 m deep) has been found by radar images only poleward of 50° latitude, while dune fields pervade the tr…
Astrochemistry: Complex organic matter in Titan's aerosols?
Biemann, K.
The abundances of constituents of Titan's atmosphere from the GCMS instrument on the Huygens probe
Israel, G.; Atreya, S. K.; Lunine, J. I. +15 more
Saturn's largest moon, Titan, remains an enigma, explored only by remote sensing from Earth, and by the Voyager and Cassini spacecraft. The most puzzling aspects include the origin of the molecular nitrogen and methane in its atmosphere, and the mechanism(s) by which methane is maintained in the face of rapid destruction by photolysis. The Huygens…
In situ measurements of the physical characteristics of Titan's environment
Neubauer, F. M.; Rodrigo, R.; Barucci, M. A. +40 more
On the basis of previous ground-based and fly-by information, we knew that Titan's atmosphere was mainly nitrogen, with some methane, but its temperature and pressure profiles were poorly constrained because of uncertainties in the detailed composition. The extent of atmospheric electricity (`lightning') was also hitherto unknown. Here we report t…
Rain, winds and haze during the Huygens probe's descent to Titan's surface
Keller, H. U.; Küppers, M.; Thomas, N. +37 more
The irreversible conversion of methane into higher hydrocarbons in Titan's stratosphere implies a surface or subsurface methane reservoir. Recent measurements from the cameras aboard the Cassini orbiter fail to see a global reservoir, but the methane and smog in Titan's atmosphere impedes the search for hydrocarbons on the surface. Here we report …
The vertical profile of winds on Titan
Plettemeier, D.; Gurvits, L. I.; Pogrebenko, S. V. +12 more
One of Titan's most intriguing attributes is its copious but featureless atmosphere. The Voyager 1 fly-by and occultation in 1980 provided the first radial survey of Titan's atmospheric pressure and temperature and evidence for the presence of strong zonal winds. It was realized that the motion of an atmospheric probe could be used to study the wi…
A soft solid surface on Titan as revealed by the Huygens Surface Science Package
Banaszkiewicz, Marek; Zarnecki, John C.; Lorenz, Ralph D. +23 more
The surface of Saturn's largest satellite-Titan-is largely obscured by an optically thick atmospheric haze, and so its nature has been the subject of considerable speculation and discussion. The Huygens probe entered Titan's atmosphere on 14 January 2005 and descended to the surface using a parachute system. Here we report measurements made just a…
Planetary science: Huygens rediscovers Titan
Owen, Tobias
The first analyses of data sent by the Huygens probe from Saturn's largest moon Titan are flooding in. They paint a picture of a `Peter Pan' world - potentially like Earth, but with its development frozen at an early stage.
Titan team claims just deserts as probe hits moon of crème brûlée
Abbott, Alison