Saturn's largest moon has lakes of liquid methane
A new analysis of data provided by NASA's Cassini spacecraft has yielded some surprising results about Saturn's largest moon, Titan. As it turns out, the large lakes that dot parts of Titan's surface are home to not water but huge amounts of methane and ethane.
These hydrocarbons are more familiar to us in their gaseous form, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory explained. But on Titan, the temperatures are so cold that these gases have condensed into liquids — enough, in some cases, to fill lakes that are 300 feet deep.
Scientists have already known that Titan has a cycle similar to Earth's water cycle — except instead of water, these liquid hydrocarbons are what get pooled in its oceans, evaporated into the atmosphere, and rained back down again. But while we already knew that Titan's larger seas are filled with methane and ethane, we weren't sure about the smaller bodies of water.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Cassini collected the data that led to this conclusion almost exactly two years ago, on April 22, 2017. Now, approaching the anniversary of the spacecraft's last Saturn flyby, this latest research was published in the journal Nature Astronomy. "Every time we make discoveries on Titan, Titan becomes more and more mysterious," said the study's lead author, Marco Mastrogiuseppe.
Read more about this exciting new discovery at JPL.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Shivani is the editorial assistant at TheWeek.com and has previously written for StreetEasy and Mic.com. A graduate of the physics and journalism departments at NYU, Shivani currently lives in Brooklyn and spends free time cooking, watching TV, and taking too many selfies.
-
Puppet shows, pagodas and pho: a guide to Hanoi
The Week Recommends Vietnam's capital city blends the ancient with the new
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
'There are benefits, but not acknowledging them would tell only half of the story'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What Trump's win could mean for Big Tech
Talking Points The tech industry is bracing itself for Trump's second administration
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
New DNA tests of Pompeii dead upend popular stories
Speed Read An analysis of skeletal remains reveals that some Mount Vesuvius victims have been wrongly identified
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
NASA's Europa Clipper blasts off, seeking an ocean
Speed Read The ship is headed toward Jupiter on a yearslong journey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Detailed map of fly's brain holds clues to human mind
Speed Read This remarkable fruit fly brain analysis will aid in future human brain research
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Why water on Mars is so significant
The Explainer Enough water has been found to cover the surface of the Red Planet – but there's a catch
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
What is NASA working on?
In Depth A running list of the space agency's most exciting developments
By Devika Rao, The Week US Last updated
-
Liquid water detected on Mars raises hopes of life
Speed Read A new study suggests huge amounts of water could be trapped beneath the surface of Mars
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Celestial events to watch in 2024
The Explainer Meteor showers, eclipses and more are coming to the skies
By Devika Rao, The Week US Last updated
-
What would a colony on the Moon look like?
Today's Big Question People could be living in lunar 'houses' by 2040, says Nasa
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published