Titan: Xanadu harbours uncommon mountains!

webscientist · Jul 23, 2006

The Cassini radar images taken during the flyby of April 30, 2006 show the bright Xanadu region. One big surprise is that it is made of highlands and mountains more than 1000 meters high ( 0.62 mile ). It contradicts the expectations of most scientists who thought that mountains didn't exceed 300 meters. And the radar images indicate that the constituent of those mountains is similar to a porous water ice. So imagine a giant mountain made of water ice! The Xanadu region also shows networks of drainage channels. They appear bright in the radar images. How to interpret? normally, a liquid should be less reflective! www.titanexploration.com

thalion · Jul 23, 2006

My God...they've finally found R'lyeh.

3488 · Jul 24, 2006

It goes to show how strong water ice is at Minus 180 Celsius / 93 Kelvin. On the Jupiter moons, Europa, Ganymede & Callisto, such a mountain would level out as the Minus 146 Celsius / 127 Kelvin temps, although bitterly cold, ice will still level out over time. At Minus 180 Celsius however, it is cold enough to remain its original form & tall mountains of ice are possible. The equatorial ridge on Iapetus is a good example as is the tall mountain seen on the Uranus moon Oberon. http://uplink.space.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=sciastro&Number=118640&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart= http://uplink.space.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=sciastro&Number=539786&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart= Titan clearly is an evolved world. Does anyone know if the tracking of the Cassini orbiter & / or the descent profile of Huygens have shown whether or not Titan is internally differentiated like the Jupiter moon Ganymede, or is homogenous like the Jupiter moon Callisto? I suspect Titan is more like Ganymede under the surface. I still think that ALL future Cassini encounters with Titan should be devoted to Radar imaging. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

webscientist · Jul 24, 2006

Theoretically, it is predicted that Titan is differenciated because of its relatively huge size: maybe 50% rock 50% water ice. I would bet that Titan is covered by a layer of bright ice probably similar in nature and appearance to the bright ice layer of Enceladus. Xanadu is made of that I think. The equatorial region appears dark , I think, because the relatively strong equatorial winds ( eastward winds ) have removed or displaced this bright ice layer. Regarding the Xanadu mountains, if it's made of water ice, maybe that one day, a human being will be able to surf on it. But, will he be able to stop his descent? www.titanexploration.com

3488 · Jul 25, 2006

I agree. I think that Titan is differentiated. During the Galileo mission at Jupiter, the Ganymede & Callisto encounters were quickly followed by not only great images, but also info regarding their internal makeup, by observing the gravity field of each moon. With Cassini & Titan, I have not seen this. I think Titan is very much like Ganymede under the surface. The big difference is that Ganymede has an internally driven Magnetosphere (the only moon in the solar system to have one, although Europa & Callisto have induced fields due to Jupiter's immense magnetosphere. Ganymede's is independent, like the Earth's), where as Titan does not have one. The Huygens detected only Saturn's magnetoshere, even after landing. I also agree that Xanadu is clean ice like the surface of Enceladus & Europa. I have no doubt that Titan is geologically active. The suspected Cryovolcano is interesting. I am looking forward to seeing the far northerly radar images taken on Saturday 22nd July 2006 & see what Titan really looks like near the North Pole. The surface gravity of Titan apparently is about 15.5% of Earth, slightly weaker than our own moon's (16.7% of Earth) which must mean, size for size, Titan is less dense than the moon, which would work with the 50 - 50 rock to ice ratio. I wonder if Titan has a metal core like Ganymede, Europa, Io & the Earth? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

3488 · Jul 25, 2006

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08630 ++STOP PRESS++STOP PRESS++STOP PRESS++STOP PRESS++STOP PRESS++STOP PRESS++STOP PRESS++ Titan appears to have hydrocarbon lakes around the North Pole. The Cassini spacecraft has radar imaged the far north of Titan (about 80 degrees North) & has found susbtantial evidence of hydrocarbon lakes. The area imaged was in total darkness at the time during the long polar Winter night on Titan. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

3488 · Jul 25, 2006

Titan Cryovolcano. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

3488 · Jul 25, 2006

Map of Titan Cryovolcano. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

webscientist · Jul 25, 2006

It confirms the predictions of the Cassini scientists: the north pole, currently in the winter hemisphere, is apparently covered by seas of hydrocarbon molecules.The dark patches indicate that the surface is smooth and absorbing like water on Earth ( low albedo ). It's curious because we linked ontario lacus ( lake in the south pole ) to the summer season but here, it's winter. Did they also identify cloud formations like in the south pole? www.titanexploration.com

3488 · Jul 25, 2006

No there were no clouds under the haze in Titan's Stratosphere. There were no clouds or evidence of any weather in Titan's Troposphere here. Maybe because it is dark, there is no sunlight to generate convection, therefore pressure differences, therefore winds & clouds & possibly methane rain & / or sleet & / or snow. I understood that generally Titan had only a four degree difference between the tropics, poles, day & night, like Venus, but only very cold. I wonder if an anticyclone (High Pressure) system has developed over Titan's arctic area? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

silylene old · Jul 25, 2006

The shape and distribution of the polar lakes on Titan look rather like the analagous polar ponds lakes found in the tundra areas on earth. Maybe Titan's hydrocarbon lakes are found in areas of frozen, mushy hydrocarbon saturated surface. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </div><div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center">I really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function. </div> </div>

3488 · Jul 25, 2006

If the above post from Silylene is true (which I suspect it is, looking at the new radar images again), then the four Celsius difference over Titan is a load of nonsense. The scene is reminiscent of the Tundra in Canada, Russia & Northern Europe. The temperature range must be more. That being so would explain why Huygens never saw any liquid (landing site just south of the equator) & why the Cassini orbiter has seen only very little (suspected lake near south pole), now these near the North Pole (about 80 degrees North). Titan is really becoming a world in its own right. Impact Craters, Cryovolcanoes, Hills, Mountains, Dunes, Valleys, channels & now lakes. Really I think that EVERY close approach to Titan by the Cassini spacecraft MUST be devoted to radar imaging. I hope hope that someone at NASA / JPL will see this forum & read our pages. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

3488 · Jul 26, 2006

How about this? An enlargement & enhancement of a portion of the radar image of a hydrocarbon lake at about 80 degrees north on Titan. Image: Saturday 22nd July 2006. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

3488 · Jul 26, 2006

Enlarged & enhanced portion of radar image of 80 degrees north on Titan 'hydrocarbon lake land'. Image: Saturday 22nd July 2006. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

3488 · Jul 26, 2006

Another enlarged & enhanced portion of radar image of 80 degrees north on Titan 'hydrocarbon lake land'. Image: Saturday 22nd July 2006. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

3488 · Jul 26, 2006

Enlarged & enhanced portion of radar image of 78 degrees north on Titan 'hydrocarbon lake land'. Image: Saturday 22nd July 2006. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

3488 · Jul 26, 2006

Another enlarged & enhanced portion of radar image of 78 degrees north on Titan 'hydrocarbon lake land'. This one also shows some hilly ground. Image: Saturday 22nd July 2006. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

3488 · Jul 26, 2006

Another enlarged & enhanced portion of radar image of 80 degrees north on Titan 'hydrocarbon lake land'. This one shows what looks like flooded impact craters? Image: Saturday 22nd July 2006. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

3488 · Jul 26, 2006

Another enlarged & enhanced portion of radar image of 80 degrees north on Titan 'hydrocarbon lake land'. Image: Saturday 22nd July 2006. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

3488 · Jul 26, 2006

Another enlarged & enhanced portion of radar image of 80 degrees north on Titan 'hydrocarbon lake land'. I hope that the portions of the radar images are interesting. They are somewhat larger & enhanced from the originals. Image: Saturday 22nd July 2006. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

3488 · Jul 26, 2006

Another enlarged & enhanced portion of radar image of 78 degrees north on Titan 'hydrocarbon lake land'. This one shows what looks like flooded impact craters? Image: Saturday 22nd July 2006. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

enigma10 · Jul 27, 2006

haha.. just stick a gas pump on that place and away we go. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "An organism at war with itself is a doomed organism." - Carl Sagan </div>

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