APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Eight Kilometers Above Titan
Explanation: What are these surface features on Titan? Scroll right to see the panoramic view captured last week by the Huygens probe as it descended toward Saturn 's mysterious moon . Scientists are not yet sure what the above image is showing. On the far left, a boundary seems to exist between some sort of smooth dark terrain and a type of choppier terrain in the distance. In the image center and on the left, white areas cover the image that might be a type of ground fog . The Huygens probe landed in the dark area of the far right, finding a portion of Titan's surface that had the consistency of wet sand and a surface temperature of -179 degrees Celsius . Huygen's battery lasted an unexpectedly long three hours as it beamed back images and data to the Saturn-orbiting Cassini mothership and an armada of Earth's most sensitive radio telescopes . Analysis of the Huygens' images will likely continue for years in attempts to better understand this cloud-engulfed moon .
| Date | January 19, 2005 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Credit: ESA , NASA , Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer Team ( LPL ) |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |



