The Night Sky Guy

Video: Discovery Channel interview on Titan

What are some of the amazing facts about Titan and what challenges may await any future human explorers of this distant, frigid world? This past week Saturn’s largest moon was the subject of my segment on Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet show. Check out the spot below…

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Saturn’s Giant Moon Has Tropical Lakes!

After circling Saturn for 8 years the Cassini spacecraft has captured new infrared  radar images of its largest moon  Titan, showing for the first time evidence of lakes near the moon’s equatorial region, according to a new study.

With a diameter just less than half of Earth’s , Titan is a mysterious moon eternally enshrouded in a thick, smoggy atmosphere made mostly of methane, and surface temperatures hovering around a chilly – 297 degrees Fahrenheit.  Other than Earth, it remains the only other world that is host to large bodies of liquid, ie. lakes,  on its surface.

For all the details on why scientists are so surprised by these new-found lakes on Titan read my story at National Geographic News.

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