Looking sharp, Titan!
Silicon-based life on Earth? Only artificially, so far — but maybe natural on other planets
A team of researchers forced bacteria to create carbon-silicon bonds, and their experiment showcases why life on our planet chose carbon.
Looking to put a sub on Titan, NASA recreated its methane oceans in Washington
Titan’s “water” isn’t even water.
First topographic map of Titan reveals surprisingly Earth-like features
The intriguing moon Titan just became even more interesting.
Dragonfly dual-quadcopter drone proposed to explore Titan to understand how life appeared
The final selection for New Horizons is expected in mid-2019.
‘Impossible’ clouds spotted on Titan – for the second time
Astronomers have made a puzzling observation which could have big implications for our understanding of Titan.
NASA plans to send an autonomous submarine into space — for a very good reason
The sub will be used to explore Titan’s oceans.
Cassini finds canyons flooded with liquid hydrocarbons on Titan
NASA’s ever-resourceful Cassini probe found steep-sided canyons on Saturn’s moon Titan.
Flying Aerobot drone is being designed to soar in the skies of Titan
The drone will have to be light but solid enough to survive in the moon’s harsh atmosphere.
Scientists find hydrocarbon dunes on Saturn’s moon Titan
Saturn’s moon Titan has some odd similarities to Earth: it has clouds, lakes and rain, except they’re made of methane and ethane.
Lakes on Titan might have formed like sinkholes on Earth
Researchers from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have been trying to figure out how Titan’s seas formed – more exactly, how the depressions in which the seas are formed.
NASA wants to explore Titan’s methane oceans with a robot submarine
At this years’ Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Symposium, NASA’s Glenn COMPASS Team discussed at large the possibility of exploring Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, with a robotic submarine that would dive deep inside the oceans of liquefied natural gas. Such a mission, if ever funded, could help answer some important questions like what are the defining chemical building blocks required to birth and sustain life. Titan is very similar to Earth in terms of cycling systems, elemental composition and terrestrial geography, so there’s much insight to be gained.
Saturn’s Moon Titan has Strong Winds and Hydrocarbon Dunes
New experimental research found that Saturn’s largest Moon, Titan, has much stronger winds than previously believed. These rogue winds actually shape the hydrocarbon dunes observed on its surface. Titan is, along with Earth, one of the few places in the solar system known to have fields of wind-blown dunes on its surface. The only other ones are Mars and Venus. Now,
New ‘Mystery Islands’ found on Titan’s Methane Sea
The enduring Cassini spacecraft returns with new insight into the hydrocarbon seas from Saturn’s moon Titan. The latest findings were reported after the spacecraft’s most recent flyby above Titan’s northern hemisphere on August 21, where it performed observations of the largest liquid methane/ethane sea, the 400,000 square kilometre Kraken Mare. The Cassini astronomers were looking to probe the methane sea’s depths, but
Cassini captures stunning picture of Titan’s seas
Saturn’s Moon Titan is a remarkable place; it’s the only place aside for the Earth which has liquids on its surface – albeit, the liquid isn’t water, but rather hydrocarbons: methane and ethane. Titan is too cold to have liquid water on its surface, but that doesn’t make it any less spectacular. NASA’s Cassini spacecraft captured some amazing pictures of
Saturn’s moon Titan may be older than Saturn itself
Titan is in the spolight again! After astronomers spotted a passing geological feature, now a joint team from NASA and ESA found evidence that the moon may have formed before its planet. Generally, moons take shape after planets – but now, researchers have found convincing evidence that the nitrogen in Titan’s atmosphere originated in ancient conditions, in the cold birthplace of the
Never before seen “magic island” pops up on Saturn’s Moon Titan
Astronomers have discovered a previously unspotted geological feature on Saturn’s moon, Titan. Pictures taken by the Cassini probe revealed a transient geological feature – a “magic island”. Now you see it, now you don’t The bright, mysterious object was seen in Ligeia Mare, the second-largest sea on Saturn’s moon Titan. But Cassini took pictures of that area before, and the
‘Waves’ detected on Titan moon’s lakes – Scientists detect waves on another world for the first time
We are detecting waves on a world 1,272,000,000 km away from Earth. An interesting world The signature of isolated ripples was observed in a sea called Punga Mare on the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan; but before you get overly excited, you should know that these seas are not filled with water, but with hydrocarbons like methane and ethane. Titan
Ingredient of Household Plastic Found on Saturn Moon
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has detected propylene, a chemical used greatly in everyday life, in things like food-storage containers, car bumpers and other consumer products, on Saturn’s Moon Titan. I really recommend watching the video below, as it explains the situation in great detail: A small amount of propylene was identified in Titan’s lower atmosphere by Cassini’s Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS);
US takes fastest supercomputer crown
In October 2010, China developed the fastest computer of the day, beating the previous record by 30% – quite an impressive feat. But the US didn’t just lie on its back. Titan, which resides at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee is an upgrade from the 2009 record holder, working at 17.59 petaflops per second – meaning it can