Saturn's Moons Continue To Amaze
If we're being told the truth, which is always a question that has to be asked with NASA, then the Saturnian system is an astoundingly interesting place, and the Cassini mission is a whopping success. Earth said goodbye to the probe ten years back a few days ago. The science has been pouring in ever since.
Saturn moon's mirror-smooth lake 'good for skipping rocks'
"The largest lake on Saturn's moon Titan is as smooth as a mirror, varying in height by less than 3 millimetres, a new study shows. The find, based on new radar observations, adds to a deluge of evidence that the moon's lakes are indeed filled with liquid, rather than dried mud.
"Unless you actually poured concrete and spread it really, really smoothly, you'd never see something like that on Earth," says team member Howard Zebker of Stanford University."
"The radar echoes revealed a surface covering thousands of square metres whose height varies by less than 3 millimetres – 10 times as flat as previous measurements were able to reveal. "It's very hard to imagine a solid surface that is smooth on the order of millimetres," Wye told New Scientist.
This provides strong evidence that the lake is currently liquid, not dried mud. "If you've ever walked outside and seen an area on the ground where there's mud and the water dries up, even that is pretty flat – but you get cracks in the mud and pieces that curl up," Zebker says. "You never see anything as smooth as what we're inferring for Titan's surface."
Confirming the presence of liquid on Titan adds to the long list of similarities between Titan and Earth. Titan is the only other body in the solar system to show evidence of an active weather cycle, where liquid evaporates from lakes to form clouds, and rains back down to the surface, forming rivers and channels. This makes Titan one of the best candidates in the solar system for supporting extraterrestrial life."
Scientists thought the moon's lakes would have gigantic waves but there aren't even small ripples, and the consistancy is probably thick like honey.
Salt Finding From NASA's Cassini Hints At Ocean Within Saturn Moon
Since jets blowing off Enceladus form Saturn's outermost ring, it's theorized there could be an ocean of salt water beneath the moon's surface, yet another place in the solar system that could be teeming with exotic life forms.
Saturn moon's mirror-smooth lake 'good for skipping rocks'
"The largest lake on Saturn's moon Titan is as smooth as a mirror, varying in height by less than 3 millimetres, a new study shows. The find, based on new radar observations, adds to a deluge of evidence that the moon's lakes are indeed filled with liquid, rather than dried mud.
"Unless you actually poured concrete and spread it really, really smoothly, you'd never see something like that on Earth," says team member Howard Zebker of Stanford University."
"The radar echoes revealed a surface covering thousands of square metres whose height varies by less than 3 millimetres – 10 times as flat as previous measurements were able to reveal. "It's very hard to imagine a solid surface that is smooth on the order of millimetres," Wye told New Scientist.
This provides strong evidence that the lake is currently liquid, not dried mud. "If you've ever walked outside and seen an area on the ground where there's mud and the water dries up, even that is pretty flat – but you get cracks in the mud and pieces that curl up," Zebker says. "You never see anything as smooth as what we're inferring for Titan's surface."
Confirming the presence of liquid on Titan adds to the long list of similarities between Titan and Earth. Titan is the only other body in the solar system to show evidence of an active weather cycle, where liquid evaporates from lakes to form clouds, and rains back down to the surface, forming rivers and channels. This makes Titan one of the best candidates in the solar system for supporting extraterrestrial life."
Scientists thought the moon's lakes would have gigantic waves but there aren't even small ripples, and the consistancy is probably thick like honey.
Salt Finding From NASA's Cassini Hints At Ocean Within Saturn Moon
Since jets blowing off Enceladus form Saturn's outermost ring, it's theorized there could be an ocean of salt water beneath the moon's surface, yet another place in the solar system that could be teeming with exotic life forms.
posted by nolocontendere at 1:46 AM
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