Titan's icy climate mimics Earth's tropics

User rating: 4.4 / 5 after 33 vote(s)

This image of Titan was taken by the Descent ImagerSpectral Radiometer on board the European Space Agencys Huygens probe on Jan. 14 2005. It was taken looking west from 5 miles above the surface. (Credits: ESANASAJPLUniversity of Arizona)
This image of Titan was taken by the Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer on board the European Space Agency's Huygens probe, on Jan. 14, 2005. It was taken looking west from 5 miles above the surface. (Credits: ESA/NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

If space travelers ever visit Saturn's largest moon, they will find a tropical world where temperatures plunge to minus 274 degrees Fahrenheit, methane rains from the sky and dunes of ice or tar cover the planet's most arid regions. These conditions reflect a cold mirror image of Earth's tropical climate, according to scientists at the University of Chicago.


Full story »
All News summaries from Space & Earth science news
All News summaries for October 02, 2007

Whale playground offers glimpse into Russia's melting Arctic

1 hour ago | User rating: not rated yet
A young whale pokes its melon-shaped head into the cool morning air near this remote island, a sign its herd is thriving despite mounting threats in Russia's melting Arctic.

N.M. cavers chart unique 'snowy' river of crystals

4 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(AP) -- Hundreds of feet beneath Earth's surface, a few seasoned cave explorers venture where no human has set foot. Their headlamps illuminate mud-covered walls, gypsum crystals and mineral deposits. The ...

Western governors offer greenhouse emissions plan

4 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(AP) -- Seven Western states are joining four Canadian provinces to propose a plan to limit greenhouse gas emissions through use of a "cap and trade" system.

Cow power could generate electricity for millions

8 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
Converting livestock manure into a domestic renewable fuel source could generate enough electricity to meet up to three per cent of North America's entire consumption needs and lead to a significant reduction in greenhouse ...

Judge: EPA must regulate ship water discharge

8 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(AP) -- An appeals court Wednesday upheld a ruling ordering the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate the water discharged from ships as a way to protect local ecosystems from invasive species.
Goto Archive PhysOrg Forum Goto Archive Video Goto Archive Editorials Goto Archive Free Magazines Goto Archive Newsletter

News Archive