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Titan-Rivers-Unnamed_River_and_Tributaries-PIA07236.jpgA "Great River" and several Tributaries on Titan56 visiteCaption NASA originale:"This mosaic of three frames from the Huygens Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer (DISR) instrument provides unprecedented detail of the high ridge area including the flow down into a major river channel from different sources".
Un fiume di idrocarburi (?) scorre quietamente su Titano, ben alimentato da svariati affluenti. Un'immagine eccezionale e che ci riporta - forse - agli albori del nostro Mondo. Qui, su Titano, forse sta nascendo qualcosa; ma che cosa può riuscire a sopravvivere e ad alimentarsi con una temperatura media di -180°C?
Forse gli orizzonti della Vita sono molto più grandi di quanto la nostra Scienza e la nostra capacità di capire sono pronte ad accettare.
Forse.
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Titan-Rivers-Unnamed_Rivers_and_Channels-PIA08428-0.jpgThe rivers of Titan...56 visiteThis image from the Synthetic Aperture Radar instrument on the Cassini spacecraft shows the radar-bright western margin of Xanadu, one of the most prominent features on Titan.
In radar images, bright regions indicate a rough or scattering material, while a dark region might be smoother or more absorbing. This image was taken during a flyby of Titan on April 30, 2006.
Narrow, sinuous, radar-bright channels, meandering like a maze, are seen on the right-hand-side of the image. These may be river networks that might have flowed onto the dark areas on the left of the image. Vast, dark areas covered by dunes are seen on the equatorial regions of Titan (see PIA03567) and have been referred to as Titan's "sand seas". Near the middle of the image is a radar-bright area that has a boundary with the dark sand seas. Because the radar illumination is coming from the top, this indicates that the bright region, Xanadu, is topographically higher than the sand seas.
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Titan-Rivers-Unnamed_Rivers_and_Channels-PIA08604-0.jpgCold Rivers56 visiteCaption NASA originale:"A network of river channels is located atop Xanadu, the continent-sized Region on Saturn's moon Titan.
This radar image was captured by the Cassini Radar Mapper on April 30, 2006.
These winding, meandering river channels start from the top of the image and run like a fork in the road, splitting to the right and left of the image. At Titan's chilly conditions, streams of methane and/or ethane might flow across parts of the Region.
The picture is roughly 230 Km (about 143 miles) wide by 340 Km (such as approx. 211 miles) long, and shows features as small as about 500 mt (approx. 1640 feet)".
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Titan-Rivers-Unnamed_Rivers_and_Channels-PIA08604-1.jpgCold Titanian Rivers (Possible Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunexit Team)254 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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Titan-Seas-Kraken_Mare-PIA08365.jpgTitanian Seas55 visiteCassini peers through the murky orange haze of Titan to spy what are believed to be bodies of liquid hydrocarbons, 2 of them as large as seas on Earth, near the moon's North Pole. This picture blends a near natural-color view and an infrared glimpse of Titan's surface obtained by the visual cameras, followed by a transition to imagery collected by the radar instrument aboard Cassini, for a dramatic reveal of the North Pole of Saturn's largest moon.
As the image zooms in on the North Pole, the most readily visible bodies are outlined in blue. The largest of these, on the left, is as big as the Caspian Sea on Earth; the next largest, on the right, is about the size of Lake Superior. When compared to the surface area of Titan however (which is six times smaller than Earth's), these bodies are equivalent in size to the Bay of Bengal and Timor Sea, respectively. Geographically speaking, they are more like seas.
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Titan-Seas-Kraken_Mare-PIA11626-00.jpgKraken Mare (Natural Colors; credits: Lunexit)56 visiteCaption NASA:"In the top right of this Cassini image, the Southern end of Titan's huge lake of liquid hydrocarbons called Kraken Mare is visible near the moon's North Pole.
See PIA11146 to learn more about Titan's lake districts and to see a map.
Near the moon's Equator are the albedo features Senkyo on the right and Aztlan on the left. This view looks toward the Saturn-Facing Side of Titan. North is up and rotated 31° to the right.
The image was taken with the Cassini Spacecraft wide-angle camera on Oct. 12, 2009 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of Near-InfraRed Light centered at 939 nanometers.
The view was acquired at a distance of approx. 252.000 Km (about 157.000 miles) from Titan and at a Sun-Titan-Spacecraft, or Phase, Angle of 11°.
Image scale is roughly 15 Km (a little more than 9 miles) per pixel".MareKromium
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Titan-Seas-Kraken_Mare-PIA11626-01.jpgKraken Mare (the Map)56 visiteKraken Mare is - so far - the largest known body of liquid on the Surface of Titan.
It was discovered in 2007 by the Cassini Probe and was so named in 2008 after the Kraken, a legendary sea monster. Kraken Mare is believed to be the largest of numerous seas and lakes in Titan's North Polar Region.
It should be a sea of Hydrocarbons whose discovery was further confirmed by Radar Imagery. Only a portion of the Kraken Sea has been imaged by radar, but its wider extent is indicated in Visible Light images that indicate a larger expanse. Kraken Mare is believed to be similar in size to the Caspian Sea. An island in the sea is named Mayda Insula.
As part of the proposed "Titan/Saturn System Mission", a probe would splash down on Kraken Mare in order to study and scrutinize its composition, depth and numerous other properties.
Nota Lunexit: "...and numerous other properties...". Quali??? Lifeforms living into it, maybe???...MareKromium
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Titan-Seas-Kraken_Mare-PIA14584-PCF-LXTT.jpgKraken Mare (Enhanced Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunexit Team)206 visiteCaption NASA:"The Cassini Spacecraft looks toward Saturn's largest moon, Titan, and spies the huge, Northern Kraken Mare. Kraken Mare, a large sea of liquid hydrocarbons and is visible as a dark area near the top of the image. This view looks toward the Saturn-facing Side of Titan. North on Titan is up and rotated 29° to the left.
The image was taken with the Cassini Spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Sept. 14, 2011 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of Near-InfraRed Light centered at 938 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approx. 1,2 MMs (such as about 1,9 MKM) from Titan and at a Sun-Titan-Spacecraft, or Phase, Angle of 26°.
Image scale is roughly 7 miles (approx. 12 Km) per pixel".MareKromium
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Titan-Seas-PIA09211.jpgJust like California...56 visiteOn May 12, 2007, Cassini completed its 31st Fly-By of Saturn's moon Titan, which the team calls T30. The radar instrument obtained this image showing the coastline and numerous island groups of a portion of a large sea, consistent with the larger sea seen by the Cassini imaging instrument.
Like other bodies of liquid seen on Titan, this feature reveals channels, islands, bays, and other features typical of terrestrial coastlines and the liquid, most likely a combination of methane and ethane, appears very dark to the radar instrument. What is striking about this portion of the sea compared to other liquid bodies on Titan is the relative absence of brighter regions within it, suggesting that the depth of the liquid here exceeds tens of meters.
Of particular note is the presence of isolated islands, which follow the same direction as the peninsula to their lower right, suggesting that they may be part of a mountain ridgeline that has been flooded. This is analogous to, for example, Catalina Island off the coast of Southern California.
MareKromium
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Titan-Senkyo_Region-PIA11577-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgThrough the Fog: Senkyo (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)102 visiteThe NASA - Cassini Spacecraft peers through the hazy Atmosphere of Titan for a close view of light and dark Terrain on Saturn's largest moon. This view, that is centered at 28° South Latitude and 334° West Longitude, shows us a small part of the Albedo Feature named Senkyo (actually it is a very large Region that the Planetary Scientists consider like a true Continent) which is located on the Trailing Hemisphere of Titan.
The image was taken with the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft Narrow-Angle Camera on July 9, 2009, using a spectral filter sensitive to Wavelengths of Near-InfraRed Light centered at 938 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 251.000 Km (such as about 156.000 miles) from Titan and at a Sun-Titan-Cassini Spacecraft, or Phase, Angle of 27°. Image scale is about 1 Km (such as 3281 feet) per pixel.
This picture (which is an Original NASA - Cassini Spacecraft b/w frame published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal and identified by the n. PIA 11577) has been additionally processed and then colorized, according to an informed speculation carried out by Dr Paolo C. Fienga (LXTT-IPF), in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft and then looked outside, towards the Saturnian moon Titan), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team. Different colors, as well as different shades of the same color, mean, among others, the existence of different Elements present in the Atmosphere and on the Surface of Titan, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.
Note: it is possible (but we, as IPF, have no way to be one-hundred-percent sure of such a circumstance), that the actual luminosity of the Albedo Feature seen in this frame would appear, to an average human eye, way lower than it has been shown (better yet: interpreted) here.MareKromium
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Titan-Senkyo_Region-PIA11636-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgThrough the Fog: Senkyo (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)107 visiteThe very low Albedo Feature (---> Region) known as Senkyo, is slightly visible here, through the haze of Titan's Atmosphere. Prominent dark areas found in Titan's Equatorial Region appear to contain vast and continuous Dunefields, discovered by the Cassini Radar Experiment and likely composed of Dust Particles that drop from Titan's unique, smoggy Atmosphere. The almost circular Feature visible to the left of the image center appears to belong to the Surface of Titan, but it could also be the result of either a peculiar configuration of some low Clouds, or a bizarre-looking image artifact. This view looks toward Saturn-facing Side of Titan and is centered on Terrain at about 1° South Latitude and 345° West Longitude. North on Titan is up, and rotated 10° to the right.
The image was taken with the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft Narrow-Angle Camera on October 12, 2009, using a spectral filter sensitive to Wavelengths of Near-InfraRed Light centered at 938 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 296.000 Km (such as about 184.000 miles) from Titan and at a Sun-Titan-Cassini Spacecraft, or Phase, Angle of 11°. Image scale is roughly 2 Km (such as a little more than 1 mile) per pixel.
This picture (which is an Original NASA - Cassini Spacecraft b/w frame published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal and identified by the n. PIA 11636) has been additionally processed and then colorized, according to an informed speculation carried out by Dr Paolo C. Fienga (LXTT-IPF), in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft and then looked outside, towards the Saturnian moon Titan), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team. Different colors, as well as different shades of the same color, mean, among others, the existence of different Elements present in the Atmosphere and on the Surface of Titan, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.
Note: it is possible (but we, as IPF, have no way to be one-hundred-percent sure of such a circumstance), that the actual luminosity of the Albedo Feature seen in this frame would appear, to an average human eye, way lower than it has been shown (better yet: interpreted) here.MareKromium
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Titan-Senkyo_Region-PIA14655-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgSenkyo Region (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)84 visiteThe NASA - Cassini Spacecraft's "Electronic Eyes" peer through Titan's thick layers of Clouds to spy on the Region dubbed "Senkyo" by Planetary Scientists. Among the Dark Surface Features visible in this picture there is also a very vast Field of Dunes, possibly composed of solid Hydrocarbon Particles precipitated out of the Titanian Atmosphere; furthermore, the South Pole of Titan is, as you can see, still shrouded in the huge Vortex that formed only a few months ago (and whose origin is still debated). The lit Terrain seen here is located on the Saturn-facing Hemisphere of Titan; North is up and rotated 18° to the right.
This image was taken with the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft's Narrow-Angle Camera on January 5, 2013, by using a spectral filter sensitive to Wavelengths of Near-InfraRed Light centered at 938 Nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 750.000 miles (such as a little more than 1,2 Million KiloMeters) from Titan and at a Sun-Titan-Cassini Spacecraft , or Phase, Angle of 79°. Image scale is roughly 4 miles (such as about 6,43 Km) per pixel.
This picture (which is an Original NASA - Cassini Spacecraft b/w frame published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal and identified by the n. PIA 14655) has been additionally processed and then colorized, according to an educated guess carried out by Dr Paolo C. Fienga (LXTT-IPF), in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft and then looked outside, towards the Saturnian moon Titan), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team. Different colors, as well as different shades of the same color, mean, among others, the existence of different Elements present in the Atmosphere of Titan, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.
Note: it is possible (but we, as IPF, have no way to be one-hundred-percent sure of such a circumstance), that the actual luminosity of the Clouds and Hazes (as well as the luminosity of Titan itself) seen in this frame would appear, to an average human eye, way lower than it has been shown (or, better yet: interpreted) here.MareKromium
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