| Ultimi arrivi - Titan: The "Foggy" Moon |
Titan-IMG001663-br500.jpgTitan from about 209.000 Km (FlyBy n. 6)56 visiteOriginal caption:"This is one of the first images returned from T6, such as the sixth Titan flyby. The image (W00010189.jpg) was taken on August 21, 2005 and received on Earth August 23, 2005. The camera was pointing toward Titan (approx. 209.379 Km away) and the image was taken using the CB3 and IRP90 filters. (...)".Ago 25, 2005
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Titan-PIA07565.jpgTitan's Terminator...from about 1,3 MKM54 visiteTitan's equatorial latitudes are distinctly different in character from its South Polar Region, as this image shows. The dark terrain, presumably lowland, seen here does not extend much farther south than about 30° South. The successful Huygens probe landed in such a Region. The Huygens probe is rotating into the light here, seeing the dawn of a new day. The bright region toward the right side of Titan's disk is Xanadu. This area is thought to consist of upland terrain that is relatively uncontaminated by the dark material that fills the lowland regions.
Near the South Pole, and just eastward of the terminator, is the dark feature identified by imaging scientists as the best candidate (so far) for a past or present hydrocarbon lake on Titan (see PIA06241). Farther east of the lake-like feature, bright clouds arc around the Pole. These clouds occupy a latitude range that is consistent with previously-seen convective cloud activity on Titan. The phase angle is 60° while the image scale is 7 Km per pixel.Ago 16, 2005
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Titan-IR-PIA07542.jpgInfrared Titan (from approx. 1,2 MKM)56 visiteCaption NASA originale:"Southeast of Xanadu (and above the center in this view) is a peculiar semi-circular feature informally referred to by imaging scientists as "The Smile". This surface feature is the brightest spot on Titan's surface, not only to the Imaging Science Subsystem Cameras, but also to the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS), which sees the surface at even longer wavelengths. "The Smile" is about 560 Km (345 miles) wide.
At the landing site of the successful Huygens probe mission, brighter regions correspond to icy upland areas, while the darker regions are lowlands that possess a higher proportion of the organic byproducts of Titan's atmospheric photochemistry. Those results seem to confirm the long-standing hypothesis that Xanadu is a relatively high region of less contaminated ice. However, the cause of the even brighter Smile is a mystery that is still under study. Farther South, a field of bright clouds arcs around the Pole, moving at a few meters per second". Lug 15, 2005
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Titan-Lakes-South_Polar_Lake-01-PIA06241-PCF-LXTT-IPF-000.jpgOntario Lacus and the South Polar Regions of Titan58 visiteCaption NASA originale:"Although it is far too cold for blossoming flowers, summer does bring storm clouds and presumably rain to Titan's south polar region.
The observed persistence of convective storm activity in the region during the Southern Titan Summer has led scientists to speculate that the dark, footprint-shaped feature near the upper left could be a past or present reservoir for Titan's methane rains".Giu 29, 2005
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Titan-Lakes-South_Polar_Lake-00-PIA06240.jpgOntario Lacus and the South Polar Regions of Titan58 visiteThis view of Titan's South Polar Region reveals an intriguing dark feature that may be the site of a past or present lake of liquid hydrocarbons.
The true nature of this feature, seen here at left of center, is not yet known, but the shore-like smoothness of its perimeter and its presence in an area where frequent convective storm clouds have been observed by Cassini and Earth-based astronomers make it the best candidate thus far for an open body of liquid on Titan.
If this interpretation is correct, then other very dark but smaller features seen in the South Polar Region, some of which are captured in this image, may also be the sites of liquid hydrocarbon reservoirs.
In addition to the notion that the dark feature is or was a lake filled with liquid hydrocarbons, scientists have speculated about other possibilities. For instance, it is plausible that the lake is simply a broad depression filled by dark, solid hydrocarbons falling from the atmosphere onto Titan's surface. In this case, the smoothed outline might be the result of a process unrelated to rainfall, such as a sinkhole or a volcanic caldera.
Giu 29, 2005
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Titan-Cryovolcanism-02.jpgCryovolcanism on Titan? (3)57 visiteInsomma: è più "credibile" che la nostra Scienza sia ancora fortemente limitata ed il nostro Sapere ancora - purtroppo - molto lontano dal potersi definire capace di interpretare con assoluta accuratezza una buona parte dei fenomeni che accadono nel nostro (piccolo) Sistema Solare e quindi nell'Universo oppure dobbiamo arrenderci all'idea che ormai 'abbiamo capito tutto' (o 'quasi tutto'...) e che ogni fenomeno è spiegabile facendo ricorso ad una macchina fotografica, ad uno spettrometro ad infrarossi ed a qualche altro aggeggio elettronico dalla sigla impossibile a pronunciarsi?
Scienza non è solo calcolo ma è anche (e forse soprattutto...) riflessione, umiltà, senso comune, capacità di meravigliarsi, capacità di dire - talvolta - "non sappiamo, non abbiamo idea di che cosa stiamo guardando".
Pensateci sopra...Giu 10, 2005
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Titan-Cryovolcanism-01.jpgCryovolcanism on Titan? (2)56 visiteNoi non pretendiamo di avere le conoscenze ed i mezzi di cui dispone la NASA, e non pensiamo di poter entrare in competizione con i loro Scienziati, però non siamo neppure così sprovveduti ed ignoranti dal 'bere acriticamente' tutte le spiegazioni che ci vengono offerte da questi Signori per 'salvare' il cosiddetto 'Sapere Comune'.
Conoscete il 'Rasoio di Occam'? Secondo Voi, è più probabile che:
1) il vulcano di Titano è un vulcano nel senso terrestre del termine e la temperatura superficiale di questo Pianeta, assieme a tantissimi altri dati e fenomeni (incluso il 'Red Hot Spot') attinenti la sua composizione e la sua struttura, sia superficiale, sia interna, non sono stati interpretati correttamente, oppure
2) le valutazioni NASA ed ESA sono tutte corrette ed il grande vulcano di Titano erutta ghiaccio d'acqua, fanghi a base di ammoniaca ed idrocarburi vari mentre tutto il resto del Pianeta è esattamente così come viene prefigurato dai Sacerdoti della Scienza Convenzionale?Giu 10, 2005
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Titan-Cryovolcanism-00.jpgCryovolcanism on Titan? (1)57 visiteDa "NASA - Picture of the Day" del 10 Giugno 2005:" Investigators suspect the newly discovered domed feature detailed in the next frame is an ice volcano, or cryovolcano, seen in infrared light (...). Since Titan's surface temperature is around -180° C, 'lava' welling up to form the volcanic mound would be icy indeed - possibly a slurry of methane, ammonia and water ice combined with other ices and hydrocarbons. The circular feature is roughly 30 Km in diameter. If its volcanic nature is confirmed, the discovery of cryovolcanism on Titan could explain the origin of methane in Titan's atmosphere".
A nostro parere quest'idea del fenomeno crio-vulcanico (e della 'lava di ghiaccio') su Titano è solo un'altra - orrenda - 'boutade' NASA la quale, pur di riuscire a NON staccare nemmeno un mattoncino dalla Cattedrale della Scienza Consolidata, si aggrappa - tentando di spiegare in maniera rassicurante le nuove ed incredibili fenomenologie che lo Spazio ci offre quasi ogni giorno - alle ipotesi più fantasiose. Giu 10, 2005
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Titan-Volcano-03-PIA07962.jpgThe Titanian Volcano (4)57 visiteCaption NASA originale:"This HR infrared image was (...) obtained by Cassini's VIMS and shows a bright, circular feature (8,5° Lat.; -143,5° Long.) with two elongated wings extending westwards".
Dunque: anche se i commenti NASA sono veramente 'minimalisti' (ai limiti del ridicolo), sembra ormai chiaro che su Titano esiste una 'fornace attiva' di un qualche tipo. Al di là delle riflessioni che già si potrebbero avviare sulla incompletezza della nostra Scienza e sulle conseguenti stupidaggini dette e scritte in passato a proposito di questo Pianeta, possiamo dire che siamo davanti, in ogni caso, ad un'evidenza incontestabile del fatto che Titano è un mondo 'geologicamente vivo e vegeto'. Vi sembra questa una notizia da poco?
Adesso, a nostro parere, tutti noi (Ricercatori e Scienziati) abbiamo una buona base fattuale per fare autocritica ed iniziare a rivedere le nostre cognizioni in materia di Scienze Planetarie e Dinamiche Evolutive dei corpi celesti ma...avremo l'umiltà per farlo?!?Giu 09, 2005
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Titan-Volcano-02.jpgThe Titanian Volcano (3)55 visiteCaption NASA originale:"From infrared images that show variations in brightness and texture, a geological map of a 'possible Titanian volcano', has been obtained using Cassini's VIMS. This geologic map shows that the circular feature has what appear to be several series of flows, as shown by the black lines. The flows represent episodes of activity on the volcano. A dark central pit, called a caldera, is similar to vents (----> aperture da sfogo; crepacci che fungono da sfogo) that appear above reservoirs of molten material on Earth's volcanoes. The colors on the map represent the brightness of features. Yellow and light green represent bright patches. Blue represents dark patches. Red represents mottled (----> screziato, a chiazze) material. The yellow area is where the volcano lies".Giu 09, 2005
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Titan-Volcano-01-PIA07961.jpgThe Titanian Volcano (2)56 visiteCaption NASA originale:"Details of the circular feature, that scientists think is an ice volcano, which could be a source of methane in Titan's atmosphere, show up at wvlgts larger than 1,3 microns (1 micron is one-millionth of a meter; 1 meter is 39"). The first 6 panels are images of the feature taken in 6 infrared windows. Images made up of two colors (ratio images) are represented in order to visualize compositional variations, which appear to be slight. The last panel is a color composite image (red, 2,75 micron; green, 2 micron; blue, 1,6 micron). These images were acquired with Cassini's VIMS. Titan, Saturn's largest moon, is the only known moon to have a significant atmosphere, composed primarily of Nitrogen, with CH4 (about 2/3%) as the largest remaining component. One goal of the Cassini mission is to find an explanation for what is replenishing and maintaining this atmosphere".Giu 09, 2005
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Titan-Volcano-00-PIA07961.jpgThe Titanian Volcano (1)76 visiteCaption NASA originale:"On Oct. 26, 2004, the Cassini spacecraft flew over Titan at less than 1.200 Km at closest approach. Cassini acquired several infrared images with spatial resolution ranging from a few tens of Km to 2 Km per pixel. The Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer took images from visible wavelengths to the 5,1 micron wvlgts. This figure shows the mosaic obtained at the 2,03 micron wvlgt - observations are centered on the hemisphere of Titan that points away from Saturn. The left (inset) HR image is 30 Km per pixel. It shows the site where the ESA's Huygens probe successfully landed on Jan. 14, 2005. The right inset shows a circular feature that scientists think is a volcano, which may be responsible for replenishing Titan's methane atmosphere".
Nota: la notizia viene inserita nel corpo del testo, silenziosamente, come se si trattasse di un fatto marginale nel quadro di una notizia irrilevante. Ma guardate e leggete i frames successivi...Giu 09, 2005
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