Cassini Sees Weird Feature in Titan's Sea

Cassini Sees Weird Feature in Titan's Sea

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASI/Cornell

Titan is Saturn's largest moon and the only satellite in our solar system known to harbor a thick atmosphere. See amazing photos of Titan as seen by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. HERE: These three images, created from radar data collected by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, show the evolution of a strange feature in Ligeia Mare, one of the largest hydrocarbon seas on Saturn's giant moon Titan. Read the Full Story.

Titan and Rhea Together

Titan and Rhea Together

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Saturn's largest and second largest moons, Titan and Rhea, appear to be stacked on top of each other in this true-color scene from NASA's Cassini spacecraft released on Dec. 23, 2013. The north polar hood can be seen on Titan appearing as a detached layer at the top of the moon on the top right. This view looks toward the Saturn-facing side of the smaller Rhea. [Read the Full Story Here]

A Stormy Arc on Titan

A Stormy Arc on Titan

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

The south polar vortex at Saturn's moon Titan stands out in the dark south against the orange and blue haze layers as seen by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. This image suggests that the polar vortex clouds form at a much higher altitude, where sunlight can still reach, than the surrounding haze. This image, released on Dec. 23, 2013, was taken on July 30 at a distance of 895,000 miles (1.441 million kilometers) from Titan. [Read the Full Story Here]

Titan's Land of Lakes

Titan's Land of Lakes

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

NASA's Cassini spacecraft used a special spectral filter to peer through the hazy atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan and see its strange hydrocarbon lakes. The images for this view, released on Dec. 23, 2013, were taken on Oct. 7 and feature the leading face of Titan as seen in red, green and blue spectral filters combined to create a natural-color view. [Read the Full Story Here]

Titan's Land of Lakes (Annotated)

Titan's Land of Lakes (Annotated)

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

This annotated view of Titan as seen from NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows the largest hydrocarbon lakes on the Saturn moon, including the largest sea Kraken Mare. Titan's lakes are named for mythological creatures. The images for this view, released on Dec. 23, 2013, were taken on Oct. 7. [Read the Full Story Here]

Titan's Northern Lakes: Salt Flats?

Titan's Northern Lakes: Salt Flats?

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/University of Idaho

This false-color mosaic, made from infrared data collected by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, reveals the differences in the composition of surface materials around hydrocarbon lakes at Titan, Saturn's largest moon. Image released Oct. 23, 2013. [Read the Full Story on Titan's Lakes Here]

Bird's Eye View of the Land of Lakes

Bird's Eye View of the Land of Lakes

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/JHUAPL/Univ. of Arizona

The vast hydrocarbon seas and lakes (dark shapes) near the north pole of Saturn's moon Titan sprawl out beneath the watchful eye of NASA's Cassini spacecraft. Image released Oct. 23, 2013. [Read the Full Story on Titan's Lakes Here]

Titan's North: The Big Picture

Titan's North: The Big Picture

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/JHUAPL/Univ. of Arizona

Almost all of the hydrocarbon seas and lakes on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan cluster around the north pole, as can be seen in this mosaic from NASA's Cassini mission. Image released Oct. 23, 2013. [Read the Full Story on Titan's Lakes Here]

Dark Lakes on Bright Titan Landscape

Dark Lakes on Bright Titan Landscape

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/JHUAPL/Univ. of Arizona

Ultracold hydrocarbon lakes and seas (dark shapes) near the north pole of Saturn's moon Titan can be seen embedded in some kind of bright surface material in this infrared mosaic from NASA's Cassini mission. Image released Oct. 23, 2013. [Read the Full Story on Titan's Lakes Here]

Titan polar vortex

Titan polar vortex

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

The recently formed south polar vortex stands out in the color-swaddled atmosphere of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, in this natural color view from NASA's Cassini spacecraft. [Full Story]

Titan Atmosphere Season Change

Titan Atmosphere Season Change

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

This night-side photo of Titan taken by the Cassini spacecraft shows a buildup of haze over the Saturn moon's south pole (bottom). Cassini has found a build up of haze over the south pole (bottom). New results from Cassini's infrared spectrometer show that air is now sinking at the south pole, leading to increased temperatures at high altitude and a large enrichment in trace gases. Image released Nov. 28, 2012.

Saturn Moon Titan Atmosphere Photo

Saturn Moon Titan Atmosphere Photo

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

This day-side photo of Titan taken by the Cassini spacecraft shows a buildup of haze over the Saturn moon's south pole (bottom). Cassini has found a build up of haze over the south pole (bottom). New results from Cassini's infrared spectrometer show that air is now sinking at the south pole, leading to increased temperatures at high altitude and a large enrichment in trace gases. Image released Nov. 28, 2012.

Cassini Shot of Saturn Moons Dione and Titan

Cassini Shot of Saturn Moons Dione and Titan

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Saturn's largest moon, Titan, appears deceptively small paired here with Dione, Saturn's third-largest moon, in this shot snapped by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on Nov. 6, 2011. Titan is much farther from the spacecraft than Dione is in this view. The view was captured at a distance of approximately 684,000 miles (1.1 million kilometers) from Titan but only about 85,000 miles (136,000 km) from Dione.

Behold, Titan

Behold, Titan

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

This view shows a close up of toward the south polar region of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, and show a depression within the moon's orange and blue haze layers near the south pole. NASA’s Cassini spacecraft snapped the image on Sept. 11, 2011 and it was released on Dec. 22.

Saturn Holiday Treats: Titan and the Rings

Saturn Holiday Treats: Titan and the Rings

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

The colorful globe of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, passes in front of the planet and its rings in this true color snapshot from NASA's Cassini spacecraft taken on May 21, 2011 and released on Dec. 22.

Titan's Orangey Blue Haze Up Close

Titan's Orangey Blue Haze Up Close

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

This wide-angle view of Titan shows Saturn’s largest moon as it appeared on Sept. 11, 2011 to NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, which snapped the photo from a distance of about 83,000 miles. This image was released on Dec. 22.

Saturn Holiday Treats: Titan and Tethys

Saturn Holiday Treats: Titan and Tethys

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Saturn's moon Tethys, with its stark white icy surface, peeps out from behind the larger, hazy, colorful Titan in this Cassini view of the two moons. Saturn's rings lie between the two. NASA's Cassini spacecraft snapped this photo on May 21, 2011 and it was released on Dec. 22.

Saturn Holiday Treats: Titan and Dione

Saturn Holiday Treats: Titan and Dione

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Saturn's third-largest moon Dione can be seen through the haze of its largest moon, Titan, in this view of the two posing before the planet and its rings from NASA's Cassini spacecraft released on Dec. 22, 2011. The north polar hood can be seen on Titan appearing as a detached layer at the top of the moon here.

One Saturn Moon Blows Oxygen to Another

One Saturn Moon Blows Oxygen to Another

Credit: NASA/JPL/SSI

The atmosphere of Titan can be seen on the Saturn moon's limb in this stunning view from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

Plunge Into an Alien World

Plunge Into an Alien World
A global detached haze layer and discrete cloud-like features high above Titan's northern terminator (day-night transition) are visible in this close-up image acquired on October 24, 2004, as the Cassini spacecraft neared its first close encounter with Titan. This image is a colorized version of an ultraviolet image.

Mammoth Cloud Engulfs Titan's North Pole

Mammoth Cloud Engulfs Titan's North Pole

Credit: NASA, JPL

This composite image shows the cloud, imaged at a distance of 90,000 kilometers (54,000 miles) during a Titan flyby designed to observe the limb of the moon. The cloud extends down to 60 degrees north latitude.

Cassini Snaps Closest Images Ever of Saturn's Moon Titan

Cassini Snaps Closest Images Ever of Saturn's Moon Titan

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

A new picture of Titan by the Cassini spacecraft reveals a bright region in the middle named Xanadu. Scientists don't know what it is.

New Images of Titan Baffle Astronomers

New Images of Titan Baffle Astronomers

Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Surface features of Titan come through in this false-color infrared image. The inset picture shows the landing site of Cassini's piggybacked Huygens probe.

Titan: A Good Mystery

Titan: A Good Mystery

Credit: NASA/JPL

Titan as Orange Globe: Titan as we might see it with our eyes from the Cassini UV camera (colorized).

Huygens Loses Communication Line With Cassini Spacecraft

Huygens Loses Communication Line With Cassini Spacecraft

Credit: ESA/NASA/University of Arizona.

This first panorama of Titan released by ESA shows a full 360-degree view around the Huygens probe. The left-hand side shows a boundary between light and dark areas. The white streaks seen near this boundary could be ground 'fog', as they were not immediately visible from higher altitudes. Huygens drifted over a plateau (centre of image) and was heading towards its landing site in a dark area (right) during descent.

Huygens Probe Sheds New Light on Titan

Huygens Probe Sheds New Light on Titan

Credit: ESA/NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.

This mosaic of three frames taken by Huygens provides unprecedented detail of a high ridge area on Titan's surface, including the flow down into a major river channel from different sources.

Unmasking Titan: Volcano Spotted on Saturn's Smoggy Moon

Unmasking Titan: Volcano Spotted on Saturn's Smoggy Moon

Credit: Nature/Cassini/NASA/ESA/Sotin et al.

A false-color infrared mosaic of Titan show features not visible to the eye: atmosphere (red); surface (green and blue). The inset shows an a prominent circular feature thought to be a volcano with flows extending westward. Image

Cassini Probe Spies Lake-Like Feature on Titan

Cassini Probe Spies Lake-Like Feature on Titan

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute.

This 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.

Scientists Reconsider Habitability of Saturn's Moon

Scientists Reconsider Habitability of Saturn's Moon

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

False color image of Saturn's moon Titan.

Shoreline Spotted on Saturn's Moon Titan

Shoreline Spotted on Saturn's Moon Titan

Credit: NASA/JPL

Radar image of Titan showing that the boundary of the bright (rough) region and the dark (smooth) region appears to be a shoreline. The image is 175 kilometers high and 330 kilometers wide (109 miles by 205 miles), and is located at 66 degrees south latitude, 356 degrees west longitude in the southern hemisphere of Titan. Image

New View of Titan: Strong Winds, Soft Ground and Lightning

New View of Titan: Strong Winds, Soft Ground and Lightning
Images from the DISR Side-Looking Imager and from the Medium Resolution Imager, acquired after landing. The horizon’s position implies a pitch of the DISR, nose-upward, by 1-2° with no measurable roll. ‘Stones’ in the foreground are 10-15 cm in size, presumably made of water ice, and these lie on a darker, finer-grained substrate. The scene evokes the possibility of a dry lakebed. Credits: ESA/NASA/University of Arizona

The 30-Year Forecast: Predicting Titan's Clouds

The 30-Year Forecast: Predicting Titan's Clouds

Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

These false-colour images of Titan were obtained by the Cassini-Huygens Visual Infrared Mapping Spectrometer during the 26 October/13 December Titan fly-bys In contrast to the reddish surface, bright clouds residing above most of the atmospheric absorption appear whitish in these representations.

Saharan Sand Dunes Found on Saturn's Moon Titan

Saharan Sand Dunes Found on Saturn's Moon Titan

Credit: Science.

Image of the Belet sand sea at about 12 degrees South and 100 degrees West on Titan.

Cassini Spacecraft Observes Titan's Northern Seas

Cassini Spacecraft Observes Titan's Northern Seas

Credit: JPL/NASA/Univ. of Arizona/CNRS/LPGNantes

Observations of the northern seas of Titan by Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer, or VIMS, (left and center) and by RADAR (right).

Titan in Motion: New Video of Landing on Saturn's Moon

Titan in Motion: New Video of Landing on Saturn's Moon

Credit: ESA/NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.

This image is part of a four-minute and 40-second video based on data from Europe's Huygen's probe, which landed on Saturn's moon Titan on January 14, 2005.

Patch of Saturn's Moon Resembles Earth

Patch of Saturn's Moon Resembles Earth

Credit: NASA/JPL

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.

Scientists to Scan Titan's Atmosphere From Earth

Scientists to Scan Titan's Atmosphere From Earth

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Intstitute.

The haze of Titan's atmosphere stands out in this image taken by the Cassini spacecraft currently orbiting Saturn.

Lakes Found on Saturn's Moon Titan

Lakes Found on Saturn's Moon Titan

Credit: NASA/JPL

The Cassini spacecraft, using its radar system, has discovered very strong evidence for hydrocarbon lakes on Titan. Dark patches, which resemble terrestrial lakes, seem to be sprinkled all over the high latitudes surrounding Titan's north pole. Image

Titan: A Tale of Two Worlds

Titan: A Tale of Two Worlds

Credit: NASA/JPL

This radar image of the surface of Saturn's moon Titan was acquired on October 26, 2004, when the Cassini spacecraft flew approximately 994 miles (1,600 kms) above the surface. Brighter areas may correspond to rougher terrains and darker areas are thought to be smoother. This image highlights some of the darker terrain, which the Cassini team dubbed "Si-Si the Cat." This nickname was chosen after a team member's daughter, Si-Si, pointed out that the dark terrain has a cat-like appearance. Image

Saturn's Moon Titan a World of Rivers and Lakes

Saturn's Moon Titan a World of Rivers and Lakes

Credit: NASA/JPL/USGS

A false-color image of Titan's surface snapped by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on July 22, 2006. The lakes appear darker than the surrounding terrain because of the unique way they scatter radar, which is similar to how water lakes on Earth do it.

Four Moons to Cross Saturn's Face Tuesday

Four Moons to Cross Saturn's Face Tuesday

Credit: Phil Nicholson/NASA

Saturn's rings are wide but very thin. Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope captured this image of the rings edge-on in 1995.

New Images: Huge Seas on Saturn's Moon Titan

New Images: Huge Seas on Saturn's Moon Titan

Credit: NASA/JPL/GSFC

This side-by-side image shows a Cassini radar image (on the left) of what is the largest body of liquid ever found on Titan's north pole, compared to Lake Superior (on the right). This close-up is part of a larger image and offers strong evidence for seas on Titan. These seas are most likely liquid methane and ethane.

Astronomers Puzzled by Titan's Missing Craters

Astronomers Puzzled by Titan's Missing Craters

Credit: NASA/JPL

The huge impact crater Menrva was spotted by the Cassini radar instrument on 15 February 2005 on Titan and has an outer diameter of 440 kilometers. It resembles a large crater or part of a ringed basin, either of which could be formed when a comet or asteroid tens of kilometres in size crashed into Titan.

Earth's Future Glimpsed on Titan

Earth's Future Glimpsed on Titan

Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Composite view of Titan built with Cassini images taken on Oct. 9 and Oct. 25, 2006.

Huygens Data Paint Turbulent Picture of Titan

Huygens Data Paint Turbulent Picture of Titan

Credit: NASA

Artist's impression of the descent and landing sequence followed by the Huygens probe to Titan.

On Titan, A Dreary Drizzle

On Titan, A Dreary Drizzle

Credit: Mate Adamkovics/UC Berkeley

Near-infrared images of Titan's surface and lower troposphere can be subtracted to reveal widespread cirrus-like clouds of frozen methane (lower images) and a large patch of liquid methane (dark area within box) interpreted as clouds and morning drizzle above the huge continent of Xanadu (outline). At left is a chart of Titan's aerosol haze versus altitude.

Titan Has More Oil Than Earth

Titan Has More Oil Than Earth

Credit: Steven Hobbs (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia)

An artist's imagination of hydrocarbon pools, icy and rocky terrain on the surface of Saturn's largest moon Titan.

Evidence for Ocean Found at Saturn's Moon Titan

Evidence for Ocean Found at Saturn's Moon Titan

Credit: NASA/JPL

This image shows bodies of liquid near Titan's north pole. It show that many of the features commonly associated with lakes on Earth, such as islands, bays, inlets and channels, are also present on this cold Saturnian moon.

Veil Lifts on Titan's Great Secrets

Veil Lifts on Titan's Great Secrets

Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.

A composite of several Cassini images shows Titan's varied surface, including possibly a remnant of an old impact basin (large circular feature near the center of Titan's disk). Mountain ranges to the southeast of the circular feature, and the dark linear feature to the northwest of the circular impact scar may be evidence of past tectonic activity.

Saturn Surprises Spur Cassini Mission Reprise

Saturn Surprises Spur Cassini Mission Reprise

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

The most detailed image ever made of Saturn and its rings was sent by the Cassini spacecraft on October 6, 2004.

On Titan: It's Raining Methane

On Titan: It's Raining Methane

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute.

Cassini images of Titan's south polar region taken in 2005 (right top and bottom) show dark areas that were not present in the 2004 images (left top and bottom) represent lakes. During the year that elapsed between the images, clouds (bright features) frequently appeared and suggest methane rain could be responsible for the new lake features.

Saturn Photographed with Four Moons

Saturn Photographed with Four Moons

Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

In this view, the giant orange moon Titan casts a large shadow onto Saturn's north polar hood. Below Titan, near the ring plane and to the left is the moon Mimas, casting a much smaller shadow onto Saturn's equatorial cloud tops. Farther to the left, and off Saturn's disk, are the bright moon Dione and the fainter moon Enceladus.

The Forecast on Titan: Pretty Darn Good

The Forecast on Titan: Pretty Darn Good
Clouds linger unexpectedly on Saturn's Moon Titan.

Titan: A World Much Like Earth

Titan: A World Much Like Earth

Credit: NASA/JPL

This mosaic of image swaths from Cassini's Titan Radar Mapper features a large dark region that has many characteristics in common with lakes, including its channels and interior, yet its differences distinguish it from other similar features. At the top (north), the feature has characteristics of a shoreline, with round bay-like margins and channels that drain into it; at left (west) and right (east) it is rimmed by bright, feathery, branching channel-like structures.

Tropical Storm Spotted on Saturn's Moon Titan

Tropical Storm Spotted on Saturn's Moon Titan

Credit: Gemini Observatory/AURA/Henry Roe, Lowell Observatory/Emily Schaller, Insitute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii

Gemini North infrared image of Saturn and Titan (at about 6 o'clock position), obtained on May 7, 2009.

Largest Lake on Saturn's Moon Titan Gets Close-Up

Largest Lake on Saturn's Moon Titan Gets Close-Up

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

This image was taken on June 07, 2010 and received on Earth June 07, 2010. The camera was pointing toward Titan at approximately 1,110,349 kilometers (690,000 miles) away, and the image was taken using the CL1 and CB3 filters. This image has not been validated or calibrated. A validated/calibrated image will be archived with the NASA Planetary Data System in 2011.

Nuclear-Powered Robot Ship Could Sail Seas of Titan

Nuclear-Powered Robot Ship Could Sail Seas of Titan

Credit: NASA.

An artist concept of proposed mission to the Saturn system, the Titan Saturn System Mission, which includes a mothership, lake lander and a balloon probe.

Saturn's Eccentric Orbit Could Explain Moon's Lopsided Lakes

Saturn's Eccentric Orbit Could Explain Moon's Lopsided Lakes

Credit: Copyright Kees Veenenbos

A possible view of the Titan surface with a methane sea. There's still a lot of guessing whether Titan has a lake or lakes which contain liquid fluids like methane or hydrocarbon. If they exist they will not be larger than a few kilometers as the first detailed photographs of the Cassini show us (fall/winter 2005). Terrain made with Cassini radar data. (made with the grey scale map I made from the 'shoreline' Titan radar map).

Sunlight Glints off Liquid Lake on Titan

Sunlight Glints off Liquid Lake on Titan

Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/DLR.

This image, obtained using Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS), shows the first observed flash of sunlight reflected off a lake on Saturn's moon Titan.

Scientists Cook Up Saturn Moon Cocktail on Earth

Scientists Cook Up Saturn Moon Cocktail on Earth

Credit: NASA/JPL/GSFC

This feature on Titan is at least 100,000 square kilometers (39,000 square miles), which is greater in extent than Lake Superior (82,000 square kilometers or 32,000 square miles), which is one of Earth’s largest lakes.

Can Life on Titan Thrive Without Water?

Can Life on Titan Thrive Without Water?

Credit: NASA/JPL/USGS

The irregular black shapes in this Cassini radar image of Titan's northern polar region are believed to be liquid methane-ethane lakes.

Saturn's Moon Titan Is Slushy Inside

Saturn's Moon Titan Is Slushy Inside

Credit: NASA/JPL

This artist's illustration shows the likely slushy interior structure of Saturn's moon Titan deduced from gravity field data collected by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. Full Story.

Giant Sand Dunes on Titan Shaped by Backward Winds

Giant Sand Dunes on Titan Shaped by Backward Winds

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute. Full Story.

Scientists have used data from the Cassini radar mapper to map the global wind pattern on Saturn's moon Titan using data collected over a four-year period, as depicted in this image.

Ice on a Volcano

Ice on a Volcano

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/USGS/University of Arizona

Wednesday, January 19, 2011: This topographic image shows an area of Saturn's moon Titan, known as Sotra Facula, which may harbor an ice volcano (cryovolcano). Finger-like flows suggest the presence of cryovolcanism. NASA's Cassini spacecraft collected data for this false-color image in which heights are exaggerated by a factor of 10.

--Tom Chao

titan-aerosol-moon-saturn

titan-aerosol-moon-saturn

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

The blurring effects of Titan's aerosol are obvious in this image, where the orange moon peeks from behind two of Saturn's rings. Small, battered Epimetheus, another of Saturn's 62 moons, appears just above the rings.

titan northern half

titan northern half

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Titan's northern half, where it's early spring, appears slightly darker than the southern half, where it's early fall, in this image taken on March 22, 2010. Like Earth, Titan has four distinct seasons, each of which lasts about seven of Earth's years.

Moons on the Move

Moons on the Move

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Titan emerges from behind Saturn while Tethys streaks into view in this colorful scene on March 24, 2008. Titan is 5,150 kilometers (3,200 miles) wide; Tethys is 1,071 kilometers (665 miles) wide. Saturn's shadow darkens the far arm of the rings near the planet's limb.

Flowing Liquids on Titan

Flowing Liquids on Titan

Credit: NASA/JPL

Abundant evidence for flowing liquids is seen in this view of Saturn’s moon Titan, from sinuous, wide river channels to shorter, more chaotic drainage patterns. This radar view of Titan's south pole was taken on Dec. 20, 2007.

Titan Approaches Saturn

Titan Approaches Saturn

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Swathed in its thick blanket of atmosphere, frigid Titan approaches the brilliant limb of Saturn on March 14, 2008.

Titan - methane rain

Titan - methane rain

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft chronicled the change of seasons as it captured clouds concentrated near the equator of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, on Oct. 18, 2010.

Titan's Seasonal Precipitation

Titan's Seasonal Precipitation

Credit: P. Huey/Science © 2011 AAAS

Cloudy with rain. Simplified global atmospheric circulation and precipitation pattern on Titan and Earth. Most precipitation occurs at the intertropical convergence zone, or ITCZ, where air ascends as a result of convergence of surface winds from the northern and southern directions. Titan’s ITCZ was previously near the south pole (A) but is currently on its way to the north pole (B). The seasonal migration of the ITCZ on Earth is much smaller (C and D). This image appears in a Perspective by Tetsuya Tokano titled, "Precipitation Climatology on Titan."

Craters on Titan and Callisto

Craters on Titan and Callisto

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Surface features observed by NASA's Cassini spacecraft at the Xanadu region on Saturn's moon Titan (left), and features observed by NASA's Galileo probe on Jupiter's moon Callisto (right). Scientists think the Titan features are eroded impact craters rather than signs of volcanic activity.

Giant Lake Confirmed on Saturn's Moon Titan

Giant Lake Confirmed on Saturn's Moon Titan

Credit: Right Image - NASA/JPL/University of Arizona; Left image - NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute.

A partial view of Titan's Ontariou Lacus (right image) from 680 miles away, or 1,100 km away, shows what appears to be a beach in the lower right of the image, below the bright lake shoreline. An image was also taken of the lake feature in June 2005 (left image).

Cassini view of Titan, looking for clouds

Cassini view of Titan, looking for clouds

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

NASA's Cassini spacecraft peers through the murk of Titan's thick atmosphere in this view, taken with Cassini's narrow-angle camera on Sept. 25, 2008.

Europe's Huygens Probe Landed in Titan Mud

Europe's Huygens Probe Landed in Titan Mud

Credit: ESA/NASA/University of Arizona.

The Huygens probe took this photo from the surface of Titan. The image has been colored and processed to give a good indication of the actual orangeish color of the surface.

False-color Titan

False-color Titan

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

This false-color image from NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows Titan in ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths.

Global Map of the Surface of Titan

Global Map of the Surface of Titan

Credit: JPL/NASA/Univ. of Arizona/CNRS/LPGNantes

Global mosaic of Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) images acquired during the nominal and equinox Cassini mission. Differences in composition translate into subtle differences of colors in this mosaic, revealing the diversity of terrains on Titan, such as the brownish equatorial dune fields or the bright, elevated terrains.

Saturn's Rings, Titan and Enceladus

Saturn's Rings, Titan and Enceladus

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus hangs below the gas giant’s rings while Titan lurks in the background, in this new image taken by the Cassini spacecraft on March 12, 2012.

Simulating Titan-Like Smog

Simulating Titan-Like Smog

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

In a laboratory experiment at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., scientists simulating the atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan have brewed up complex organic molecules that they think could eventually lead to the building blocks of life. In this picture, molecules of dicyanoacetylene are seen on a special film on a sapphire window. They are the result of exposing simple organic molecules known to exist at Titan with sun-like radiation on Aug. 4, 2010. Image released April 2, 2013.