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Titan Flyby – May 12, 2007

High northern terrain on Titan is made visible by some image processing sleight of hand. Taken March 29, 2007
High northern terrain on Titan is made visible by some image processing sleight of hand. Taken March 29, 2007

Cassini To Confirm if 'Caspian Sea' is Liquid-Fill

Cassini successfully completed a flyby of Saturn's moon Titan on May 12, 2007. Due to the recent discovery of probable large seas on Titan, Cassini's quick-thinking team repointed the radar instrument south in advance of the encounter, flying over a large, expansive dark area dubbed the "Caspian Sea." Information from this flyby will confirm whether it is liquid-filled. Stay tuned for more news.

The presence of seas on Titan reinforces the idea that Titan's surface must be re-supplying methane to its atmosphere.

Titan Flyby at a Glance

Date
May 12, 2007

Altitude
597 miles (960 km)

Speed (rel. to Titan)
20,132 mph (5.9 km/sec)