Titan in the solar system. Titan - Saturn's largest moon

Titanium- the largest satellite of Saturn and the second largest solar system: photo, size, mass, atmosphere, name, methane lakes, Cassini research.

The Titans ruled the Earth and became the progenitors of the Olympic gods. That is why the largest satellite of Saturn was named Titan. It occupies the 2nd place in size in the system and exceeds Mercury in volume.

Titan is the only satellite of Saturn endowed with a dense atmospheric layer, which for a long time prevented the study of surface features. Now we have evidence of the presence of liquid on the surface.

Discovery and name of the satellite Titan

In 1655, Christian Huygens noticed a satellite. This discovery was inspired by Galileo's findings near Jupiter. Therefore, in the 1650s. he began to develop his telescope. At first it was simply called the Moon of Saturn. But later, Giovanni Cassini will find 4 more, so he was called by position - Saturn IV.

The modern name came from John Herschel in 1847. In 1907, Josell Comas Sola tracked the darkening of Titan. This is the effect where the center of a planet or star appears much brighter than the edge. This was the first signal to detect the atmosphere on the satellite. In 1944, Gerard Kuiper used a spectroscopic instrument and found a methane atmosphere.

Size, mass and orbit of the Titan satellite

The radius is 2576 km (0.404 Earth), and the mass of the Titan satellite is 1.345 x 10 23 kg (0.0255 Earth). The average distance is 1,221,870 km. But an eccentricity of 0.0288 and an inclination of the orbital plane of 0.378 degrees caused the satellite to approach 1,186,680 km and move away 1,257,060 km. Above is a photo comparing the size of Titan, the Earth and the Moon.

Thus, you learned which planet Titan is a satellite of.

Titan spends 15 days and 22 hours on an orbital flyby. The orbital and axial periods are synchronous, therefore it stays in the gravitational block (turned to the planet by one side).

The composition and surface of the moon Titan

Titanium is denser due to gravitational contraction. Its index of 1.88 g/cm 3 hints at an equal ratio of water ice and rocky material. Inside it is divided into layers with a rocky core covering 3400 km. A 2005 Cassini study hinted at the possible presence of an underground ocean.

It is believed that Titan's liquid consists of water and ammonia, which makes it possible to fix the liquid state even at a temperature mark of -97 ° C.

The surface layer is considered to be relatively young (from 100 million to 1 billion years) and looks smooth with impact craters. The height varies by 150 m, but can reach 1 km. It is believed that this was influenced by geological processes. For example, on the southern side, a mountain range was formed with a length of 150 km, a width of 30 km and a height of 1.5 km. Filled with icy material and a layer of methane snow.

Patera Sotra is a mountain range that stretches to a height of 1000-1500 m. Some peaks are endowed with craters and it seems that frozen lava flows have accumulated at the base. If there are active volcanoes on Titan, then they are provoked by energy coming from radioactive decay.

Some believe that before us is a geologically dead place, and the surface was created due to crater impacts, fluid flows and wind erosion. Then methane does not come from volcanoes, but is released from the cold lunar interior.

Among the craters of Titan's moon, the 440-km two-zone Minerva impact basin stands out. It is easy to find by its dark pattern. There are also Sinlap (60 km) and Xa (30 km). Radar survey was able to find crater forms. Among them is the 90-kilometer ring of Guabonito.

Scientists have theorized about the presence of cryovolcanoes, but so far only surface structures with a length of 200 m that look like lava flows have hinted at this.

Channels may hint at tectonic activity, which means that we have young formations in front of us. Or is it an old place. You can find dark areas that are patches of water ice and organic compounds showing up in the UV view.

Methane lakes of the moon Titan

Saturn's moon Titan attracts attention with its hydrocarbon seas, methane lakes and other hydrocarbon compounds. Many of them are noted near the polar regions. One covers an area of ​​15,000 km 2, and a depth of 7 m.

But the largest is the Kraken at the North Pole. The area is 400,000 km 2 and the depth is 160 m. We even managed to note small capillary waves with a height of 1.5 cm and a speed of 0.7 m/s.

There is also the Sea of ​​Ligeia, located closer to the north pole. The area covers 126,000 km 2. It was here in 2013 that NASA first noticed the mysterious object - Magic Island. Later it will disappear, and in 2014 it will reappear in a different form. This is thought to be a seasonal feature created by rising bubbles.

Mostly lakes are concentrated near the poles, but similar formations have also been found on the equatorial line. In general, the analysis shows that the lakes cover only a few percent of the surface, which is why Titan is much drier than our planet Earth.

Titan's atmosphere

Titan is so far the only satellite in the solar system that has a dense atmosphere with a remarkable amount of nitrogen. Moreover, it even exceeds the earth's density with a pressure of 1.469 kPa.

Represented by an opaque haze that blocks incoming sunlight (reminiscent of Venus). Lunar gravity is low, so the atmosphere is much larger than Earth's. The stratosphere is filled with nitrogen (98.4%), methane (1.6%) and hydrogen (0.1%-0.2%).

Titan's atmosphere contains traces of hydrocarbons such as ethane, acetylene, diacetylene, propane, and methylacetylene. It is believed that they form in the upper layers due to the breakdown of methane by UV rays, which creates a thick orange-colored smog.

The surface temperature reaches -179.2°C because, compared to us, the moon receives only 1% of the sun's heat. In this case, the ice is endowed with low pressure. If not for the greenhouse effect from methane, then Titan would be much cooler.

Fog that reflects sunlight works against the greenhouse effect. Simulations have shown that complex organic molecules can appear on the satellite.

Hot planetary coronas

Astronomer Valery Shematovich on the study of gas shells of planets, hot particles in the atmosphere and discoveries on Titan:

The habitability of the Titan satellite

Titan is perceived as a probiotic environment with complex organic chemistry and a possible subsurface ocean in a liquid state. Models show that the addition of UV rays in such an environment can lead to the formation of complex molecules and substances, such as tholins. And the addition of energy causes even 5 nucleotide bases.

Many believe that the satellite contains enough organic material to activate the process of chemical evolution similar to that of the Earth. This requires water, but life could survive in the subsurface ocean. That is, life can appear on Saturn's moon Titan.

Such forms must be able to survive in extreme conditions. It all depends on the heat exchange between the inner and upper layers. Do not exclude the presence of life in methane lakes.

To test the hypothesis, several models were created. Atmospheric shows that there is a large amount of molecular hydrogen in the upper layer, which disappears closer to the surface. Low levels of acylene are also indicative of hydrocarbon consuming organisms.

In 2015, researchers even created a cell membrane capable of functioning in liquid methane under specified lunar conditions. But at NASA, these experiments are considered hypotheses and rely more on the levels of acylene and hydrogen.

In addition, the experiments still concerned earthly ideas about life, and Titan is different. The satellite lives much farther from the Sun, and the atmosphere is devoid of carbon monoxide, which does not allow it to retain the necessary amount of heat.

Exploration of the Titan satellite

The rings of Saturn often overlap the moon, so without special tools, Titan is difficult to find. But then there is a barrier from a dense atmospheric layer, which makes it difficult to see the surface.

For the first time, Pioneer 11 approached Titan in 1979, presenting images. He noted that the moon is too cold to support life forms. Voyagers 1 (1980) and 2 (1981) followed, providing data on density, composition, temperature and mass.

The main information array came from the study of the Cassini-Huygens mission, which arrived at the system in 2004. The probe captured surface details and color patches that were previously inaccessible to human vision. He also noticed the seas and lakes.

In 2005, the Huizens probe descended to the surface, capturing surface formations up close.

He also obtained images of a dark plain that hinted at erosion. The surface was much darker than scientists expected.

In recent years, more and more questions have been raised about returning to Titan. In 2009, they tried to push the TSSM project, but it was bypassed by EJSM (NASA / ESA), whose probes will go to Ganymede and Europa.

TiME was also planned, but NASA decided that it would be more expedient and cheaper to launch InSight to Mars in 2016.

In 2010, they considered the possibility of launching JET - an astrobiological orbiter. And in 2015, they came to the development of a submarine that can dive into the Kraken Sea. But for now, it's all under discussion.

Titan moon colonization

Of all the satellites, Titan seems to be the most profitable target for a colony.

Titanium has a huge number of elements that are needed to sustain life: methane, nitrogen, water and ammonia. They can be transformed into oxygen and even create an atmosphere. The pressure is 1.5 times higher than the Earth's, and the dense atmosphere protects much better from cosmic rays. Of course, it is filled with flammable substances, but an explosion requires a huge amount of oxygen.

But there is also a problem. Gravity is inferior to the indicators of the earth's moon, which means that the human body will have to fight against muscle atrophy and bone destruction.

It is not easy to cope with frost at -179 ° C. But the satellite is a tasty morsel for explorers. There is a high probability of coming across life forms that can survive in extreme conditions. Perhaps we will also come to colonization, because the satellite will become the starting point for the study of more distant objects and even exit from the system. Below is a map of Titan and high-quality high-resolution photos from space.

Titan surface map

Click on the image to enlarge it

Photos of the satellite Titan

The Cassini spacecraft approached within 2 million km on May 29, 2017 to capture the night side of Titan in a photo. This review succeeded in emphasizing the extended atmospheric nebula of the moon. For the entire time of observation, the device managed to fix the satellite from various angles and get a full view of the atmosphere. The high-altitude fog layer is displayed in blue, and the main haze is orange. The difference in color may be based on particle size. Blue, most likely, is represented by small elements. A narrow-angle camera with red, green and blue filters was used for shooting. The scale is 9 km per pixel. The Cassini program is a joint development of ESA, NASA and the Italian Space Agency. The team is based in JPL. The two cameras on board are also made by them. The obtained photos are processed in Boulder (Colorado).

The surface of Titan was observed in detail in the photo during the landing of the Huygens probe. But still, most of the area was displayed by the Cassini apparatus. Titanium is still an interesting mystery. This review shows a new area that was not marked in previous observations. This is a composite image of 4 almost identical wide-angle shots.

Shepherd Companions	· · · ·

For that category of enthusiastic scientists who are interested in the existence of extraterrestrial worlds suitable for exploration, the well-known phrase: “Is there life on Mars, is there life on Mars”, has ceased to be relevant today. It turned out that within the solar system there are worlds that are much more interesting in this aspect than the Red Planet. A striking example of this is the largest satellite of Saturn, Titan. It turned out that this celestial body is very similar to our planet. The information that scientists have today admits the existence of a scientific version that life on Titan, a satellite of Saturn, is a very real fact.

Why is Titan so interesting for earthlings?

After decades of trying unsuccessfully to find a world within our solar system that even remotely resembled our Earth, information about Titan gave hope to the scientific community. Scientists became interested in this celestial body since 2005, when the Huygens automatic probe landed on the surface of one of the largest satellites in the solar system. Over the next 72 minutes, the onboard photo and video camera of the spacecraft transmitted to Earth a photo of the surface of this object and other video materials about this distant world. Even in such a limited time allotted for instrumental studies of a distant satellite, scientists were able to obtain an exhaustive amount of information.

Landing on the surface of Titan was carried out as part of the international Cassini-Huygens program aimed at studying Saturn and its satellites. Launched back in 1997, the Cassini robotic interplanetary station is a joint development of ESA and NASA for a detailed study of Saturn and the surrounding area of ​​\u200b\u200bthis planet. After 7 years of flight across the expanses of the solar system, the station delivered the Huygens space probe to Titan. This unique spacecraft is the result of a joint effort between NASA and the Italian space agency, whose team had high hopes for this flight.

The results that scientists received from the operating Cassini station and from the Huygens probe turned out to be invaluable. Despite the fact that a distant satellite appeared before the gaze of earthlings as a huge silent realm of ice, the subsequent detailed study of the surface of the object changed the idea of ​​​​Titan. In the pictures taken with the help of the Huygens probe, it was possible to make out in great detail the surface of the satellite of Saturn, which mainly consisted of solid water ice and sedimentary layers of an organic nature. It turned out that the dense and impenetrable atmosphere of a distant satellite has almost the same composition as the earth's air-gas shell.

In the future, Titan threw scientists another serious bonus. For the first time in the history of the development and study of extraterrestrial space outside the Earth, liquid matter of the same nature was found that was on the planet Earth in the early years of its existence. The relief of the celestial body is complemented by a huge ocean, numerous lakes and seas. All this gives reason to believe that we are dealing with a celestial body, which could be another oasis of life in our solar system. Studies of the composition of the atmosphere and liquid medium of the satellite of Saturn revealed the presence of useful substances necessary for the life of organisms. It is assumed that under certain conditions in the process of studying this celestial body, living organisms can be found on Titan.

In this regard, the subsequent study of the largest satellite of Saturn becomes relevant. It is highly likely that, along with Mars, it is Titan that can become the second space home for human civilization.

Academic view of Titan

The size of Titan allows it to compete with the planets of the solar system. This celestial body has a diameter of 5152 km, which is greater than the diameter of Mercury (4879 km) and slightly smaller than Mars (6779 km). The mass of Titan is 1.3452 1023 kg, which is 45 times less than the mass of our planet. By its mass, the satellite of Saturn is the second in the solar system, yielding to the satellite of Jupiter - Ganymede.

Despite its impressive size and weight, Titanium has a low density, only 1.8798 g/cm³. For comparison, the density of the parent planet Saturn is only 687 c/m3. Scientists have identified a weak gravitational field in the satellite. The force of attraction on the surface of Titan is 7 times weaker than the earth's parameters, and the free fall acceleration is the same as on the Moon - 1.88 m/s2 versus 1.62 m/s2.

A characteristic feature is the position of Titan in space. The largest satellite of Saturn revolves around its parent planet in an elliptical orbit at a speed of 5.5 km / s, being outside the region of Saturn's rings. The average distance from Titan to the surface of Saturn is 1.222 million km. This entire system is located at a distance of 1 billion 427 million km from the Sun, which is 9.5 times the distance between our central star and the Earth.

Like our satellite, the “Moon of Saturn” is always turned to it with one side. This is due to the synchronism of the satellite's rotation around its own axis with the period of Titan's revolution around the mother planet. Its largest satellite makes a complete revolution around Saturn in 15 Earth days. Due to the fact that Saturn and its satellites have a fairly high angle of inclination of the axis of rotation to the axis of the ecliptic, there are seasons on the surface of Titan. Every 7.5 Earth years on the satellite of Saturn, summer is replaced by a cold winter period. According to astronomical observations, autumn is on the side of Titan that faces Saturn today. Soon the satellite will hide from the sun's rays behind the mother planet and the Titanic autumn will be replaced by a long and fierce winter.

Temperatures on the surface of the satellite vary between minus 140-180 degrees Celsius. Data obtained from the Huygens space probe revealed a curious fact. The difference between polar and equatorial temperatures is only 3 degrees. This is explained by the presence of a dense atmosphere, which prevents the impact of sunlight on the surface of Titan. Despite the high density of the atmosphere, there is no liquid precipitation on Titan due to low temperatures. In winter, the surface of the satellite is covered with snow from ethane, particles of water vapor and ammonia. This is only a small part of what we know about Titan. Interesting facts about the largest satellite of Saturn concern literally any field, from astronomy, climatology and glaciology to microbiology.

Titan in all its glory

Until recently, most of the information about Saturn's moon was based on visual observations obtained from the Voyager space probe, which raced past it at a distance of 7000 km in 1980. The Hubble telescope slightly opened the veil of secrecy about this space object. To get an idea of ​​the surface of the satellite did not allow its dense atmosphere, which in density and thickness is second only to the Venusian and terrestrial air-gas shell.

The mission of the Cassini automatic station in 2004 helped to remove the veil of fog that reigned over this celestial body. For four years, the device was in orbit of Saturn, carrying out sequential photography of its satellites, including Titan. Research from the Cassini probe was carried out using a camera with an infrared filter and a special radar. The photographs were taken from different angles at a distance of 900-2000 km from the satellite surface.

The culmination of the study of Titan was the landing on its surface of the Huygens probe, named after the discoverer of Saturn's moon. The apparatus, having entered the dense layers of the atmosphere of Titan, descended by parachute for 2.5 hours. During this time, the probe equipment studied the composition of the satellite's atmosphere, photographed its surface from a height of 150, 70, 30, 15 and 10 kilometers. After a long descent, the space probe landed on the surface of Titan, burrowing 0.2-0.5 meters into the dirty ice. After landing on the moon, Huygens worked for a little more than an hour, transmitting to Earth through the Cassini AMS a lot of useful information directly from the surface of the satellite. Thanks to images taken from the Cassini spacecraft and the Huygens probe, a team of researchers has compiled a map of Titan. In addition, scientists now had detailed information about its atmosphere, data on the climate on the surface and features of the relief.

satellite atmosphere

In the situation with Titan, for the first time in the process of studying and studying the celestial bodies of the solar system, scientists had the opportunity to study the atmosphere in detail. As expected, the satellite of Saturn has a dense and well-developed atmosphere, which not only resembles the gaseous shell of the Earth in many respects, but also surpasses it in mass.

The thickness of the atmospheric layer of Titan was 400 km. Each layer of the atmosphere has its own composition and concentration. The gas composition is as follows:

• 98.6% leaves nitrogen N;
• 1.6% in the atmosphere is methane;
• a small amount of ethane, acetylene compounds, propane, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, helium and cyan.

The concentration of methane in the atmosphere of the satellite, starting from a height of 30 km, changes in the direction of decrease. As you approach the surface of the satellite, the amount of methane decreases to 95%, but the concentration of ethane increases to 4-4.5%.

A characteristic feature of the air-gas layer of the Titan satellite is its anti-greenhouse effect. The presence of hydrocarbon organic molecules in the lower layers of the atmosphere neutralizes the greenhouse effect created by a huge concentration of methane. As a result, the surface of the celestial body cools evenly due to the presence of hydrocarbons. The same processes and the gravitational field of Saturn determine the circulation of the atmosphere of Titan. Such a picture contributes to the formation of active climatic processes in the atmosphere of Saturn's moon.

It should be noted that the atmosphere of the satellite is constantly losing weight. This is due to the absence of a powerful magnetic field in the celestial body, which is not able to hold the air-gas shell, which is under the constant influence of the solar wind and the gravitational forces of Saturn. To date, the atmospheric pressure on the satellite of the ringed giant is 1.5 atm. This is invariably reflected in weather conditions, which change with the concentration of gases in Titan's atmosphere.

The main work on creating weather on Titan is performed by dense clouds, which, unlike terrestrial air masses, consist of organic compounds. It is these atmospheric formations that are the source of precipitation on the largest satellite of Saturn. Due to low temperatures, the atmosphere of the celestial body is dry. The highest concentration of cloudiness was found in the polar regions. Due to low temperatures, the humidity in the atmosphere is extremely low, so the precipitation on Titan is methane ice crystals and frost, consisting of compounds of nitrogen, ethane and ammonia.

The surface of Titan and its structure

Saturn's satellite has not only an interesting atmosphere. Its surface is an extremely curious object from the point of view of geology. Under a thick blanket of methane, the photographic lenses and cameras of the Huygens space probe discovered entire continents, separated by numerous lakes and seas. As on Earth, there are plenty of rocky and mountain formations on the continents, there are deep crevices and depressions. They are replaced by vast plains and valleys. In the equatorial part of the celestial body, a vast area of ​​dunes was formed by particles of hydrocarbonate and water ice. It is assumed that the Huygens space probe landed on one of these dunes.

The complete resemblance to a living planet adds the presence of a liquid structure. On Titan, rivers have been discovered that have sources, winding channels and deltas - places where streams flow into sea basins. According to the data taken from the images, some of the rivers of Titan have a channel length of more than 1000 km. Almost all of the liquid mass of Titan is concentrated in sea basins and lakes, which occupy an impressive area - up to 30-40% of the entire surface area of ​​this celestial body.

Evidence of the presence of large accumulations of liquid medium on the surface of the satellite was a huge bright spot, which for a long time confused astronomers. Subsequently, it was proved that the bright region on Titan is a huge pool of liquid hydrocarbons, called the Kraken Sea. By area, this imaginary body of water is larger than the largest lake on Earth - the Caspian Sea. Another equally interesting object is the Ligeia Sea - the largest natural reservoir for liquid methane and ethane.

Accurate information about the composition of the liquid environment of the seas and lakes of Titan was obtained thanks to the work of the Casssini AMS. Using data from photographs and computer simulations, the composition of the liquid on Titan was determined under terrestrial conditions:

• ethane is 76-80%;
• propane in the seas and lakes of Titan 6-7%;
• methane accounts for 5-10%.

In addition to the main elements, presented in the form of frozen gases, hydrogen cyanide, butane, butene and acetylene are present in the liquid. The main accumulation of water on Titan has a nature somewhat different from the earth's form. Huge deposits of superheated ice, consisting of water and ammonia, were found on the surface of the satellite. It is assumed that under the surface there may be extensive natural reservoirs filled with liquid water with ammonia dissolved in it. In this aspect, the internal structure of the satellite is also interesting.

Today, various versions are being put forward about the internal structure of Titan. As is the case with all the planets of the terrestrial group, it has a solid core, not iron-nickel, as on the first four planets of the solar system, but stone. Its diameter is approximately 3400-3500 km. Then the most interesting begins. Unlike the Earth, where the mantle begins after the core, on Titan this space is filled with dense compressed layers of water ice and methane hydrate. Probably, there is a liquid layer between the individual layers. However, despite its coldness and stone nature, the satellite is in an active phase and tectonic processes are observed on it. This is facilitated by tidal forces, which are caused by the giant gravity of Saturn.

Possible future of Titan

Judging by the data of studies conducted in the last decade, humanity is dealing with a unique object in the solar system. It turned out that Titan is the only celestial body, in addition to the Earth, which is characterized by all three types of activity. On the satellite of Saturn, traces of constant geological activity are observed, which are confirmation of its living tectonic activity.

To a large extent, the nature of the surface of Titan is also interesting. Its structure, composition and relief speak in favor of the fact that the surface of Saturn's moon is in constant motion. Here, as on Earth, under the influence of winds and precipitation, soil erosion is observed, rocks are weathered and sediments are deposited.

The composition of the satellite's atmosphere and the circulation processes occurring in it shaped the climate on Titan. All of these signs speak in favor of the fact that life can exist on Titan under certain conditions. Naturally, it will be a form of life different from terrestrial organisms, but its very existence will be a colossal discovery for mankind.

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

Of particular interest to researchers of the solar system is the largest satellite of Saturn, Titan. It is one of the largest satellites of the planets. According to the Voyagers, the diameter of Titan is 5150 km. In terms of size and mass, it is slightly inferior only to Jupiter's satellite Ganymede and is approximately 2 times larger than our Moon.

Titan is the only satellite with a dense atmosphere. Even from ground-based observations, it was known that methane is present in its atmosphere. Spectral observations made by Voyager 1 confirmed the presence of methane, but at the same time showed that its content in the atmosphere is small - about 1%, while 85% of the atmosphere consists of nitrogen (mainly molecular) and 12% of inert argon. Small amounts of hydrogen cyanide (HCM) - hydrocyanic acid (a very strong poison), as well as molecular hydrogen were found.

Atmospheric pressure at the surface of Titan is about 1.5 times the atmospheric pressure at the Earth's surface; the temperature is about -180 °C. This is close to the so-called triple point of methane, that is, the temperature at which it can be simultaneously in a solid, liquid and gaseous state.

Probably, the atmosphere of Titan is similar to the primary gaseous shells that Venus, Earth and Mars had at the dawn of their existence. But unlike these planets, on Titan the temperatures are so low that the atmosphere could be preserved in its original form. Consequently, its study could shed light on the problem of the development of planetary atmospheres. It is possible that under the physical conditions prevailing on Titan, methane plays the same role there as water does on Earth. And this means that under the nitrogen sky of Titan, methane rivers can flow from methane glaciers, and methane rains can fall from clouds. The world of this satellite of Saturn, apparently, is exceptionally peculiar.

All satellites, except for the huge Titan, which is larger than Mercury and has an atmosphere, are composed mainly of ice (with some admixture of rocks at Mimas, Dione and Rhea). Enceladus is unique in brightness - it reflects light, almost like freshly fallen snow. The darkest surface of Phoebe, which is therefore almost invisible. The surface of Iapetus is unusual: its front (in the direction of travel) hemisphere is very different in reflectivity from the back. Of all the large moons of Saturn, only Hyperion has an irregular shape, possibly due to a collision with a massive body, such as a giant icy meteorite. The surface of Hyperion is heavily polluted. The surfaces of many moons are heavily cratered. So, on the surface of Dione, the largest ten-kilometer crater was discovered; on the surface of Mimas lies a crater whose shaft is so high that it is clearly visible even in photographs. In addition to craters, there are faults, furrows, and depressions on the surfaces of a number of satellites. The greatest tectonic and volcanic activity was found at Enceladus.

Now every person knows that an oil leak, whether it is into the soil, a river or the ocean, threatens all living things. And as soon as this happens, special teams are urgently sent to the area of ​​​​an ecological disaster to eliminate the source of pollution. But what we are struggling with on Earth, on another planet, may constitute an ordinary natural environment, and possibly a habitat. Indeed, in the vast Universe, planetary worlds can be completely different from each other. The forms of life on them can also be diverse. And what future space travelers will meet there! But this is hard to imagine even for desperate dreamers: oil seas on the planet! It turns out that there may be such planets, the continents of which are washed by oil seas. And not somewhere in the depths of the Galaxy, but in our solar system. Saturn's moon Titan may be such an exotic celestial body.

Unfortunately, even the Voyagers could not see the surface of Titan because of the thick haze. And the ground-based radar of the surface of Titan allegedly indicated that a hydrocarbon (oil!) Ocean was splashing there ...

In 2005, the Cassini descent probe landed on Titan for the first time. The scientific prediction of scientists was largely justified. Titan is a truly amazing world of hydrocarbons - the world of methane, where methane can be found literally at every step. And although there was no global oil ocean on Titan, the presence of natural hydrocarbon pools is not excluded.

Saturn's moon is Titan, the most Earth-like celestial body. More recently, scientists have received a picture in which, for the first time, matter in a liquid state was discovered outside the Earth. In addition, an atmosphere similar to that of Earth was discovered on Titan. Previously, high-profile scientific discoveries have already been associated with Titan, for example, in 2008, an underground ocean was discovered on Titan. Perhaps it is Titan, and not Mars, that will become our future home.

Titan is the second largest moon in the solar system after Ganymede. Titan contains 95% of the mass of all Saturn's moons. The gravity on Titan is about a seventh of Earth's gravity. Titan is the only moon in the solar system to have a dense atmosphere, and the only moon whose surface is almost impossible to see due to the thick layer of clouds. The pressure at the surface is 1.6 times higher than the pressure of the earth's atmosphere. Temperature - minus 170-180 °C


Titan has seas, lakes, and rivers made of methane and ethane, as well as mountains made of ice. Probably, around the stone core, about 3400 km in diameter, there are several layers of ice with different types of crystallization and possibly a layer of liquid. A number of scientists have put forward a hypothesis about the existence of a global subsurface ocean. Comparison of Cassini images from 2005 and 2007 showed that landscape details were shifted by about 30 kilometers. Since Titan is always turned to Saturn on one side, such a shift can be explained by the fact that the icy crust is separated from the main mass of the satellite by a global liquid layer. The movement of the crust can cause the circulation of the atmosphere, which rotates in one direction (from west to east) and drags the crust with it. If the movement of the crust turns out to be uneven, then this will confirm the hypothesis of the existence of the ocean. Presumably it consists of water with ammonia dissolved in it.


This theory was confirmed by a picture of sunlight reflecting off the surface of Titan taken in mid-July 2009 by the Cassini spacecraft. The image was only publicly presented in December 2009, at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Society in San Francisco.

After that, scientists had to spend a lot of time to prove that the detected bright spot is nothing more than a sun glare on the surface of the lake, and not a volcanic eruption or lightning. As a result of further analysis, scientists were able to find out that the detected glare belonged to the huge hydrocarbon basin of the Kraken Sea, the area of ​​\u200b\u200bwhich is 400 thousand square kilometers, which is larger than the area of ​​the largest lake on Earth - the Caspian Sea. According to Cassini data and computer calculations, the composition of the liquid in the lakes is as follows: ethane (76-79%). In second place is propane (7-8%), in third - methane (5-10%). In addition, the lakes contain 2-3% hydrogen cyanide, and about 1% butene, butane and acetylene. According to other hypotheses, the main components are ethane and methane.

The presence of lakes of liquid hydrocarbons on the surface of Titan has not been in doubt since the signs of huge lakes of liquid were discovered by Cassini in the process of studying the surface of Titan using radio waves. Scientists, based on these indirect data, even managed to prove the presence of cycles of global glaciations and thaws on Titan, but so far astronomers have not been able to break through the dense hydrocarbon atmosphere of Titan to capture these lakes. For the first time, the team of researchers working with Cassini managed to do this only now, when winter ended in the northern hemisphere of Titan, where most of the lakes are concentrated, and its surface began to be illuminated again by the rays of the Sun.


"It's amazing how much the surface of Titan resembles Earth," Pasadena-based planetary geologist Rosalie Lopez said in August after studying Titan's surface in detail.


Titan has an atmosphere, which also makes it similar to Earth. Titan's atmosphere is about 400 kilometers thick and contains several layers of hydrocarbon smog, making Titan the only satellite in the solar system whose surface cannot be observed with a telescope. Smog is also responsible for the anti-greenhouse effect unique to the solar system. The atmosphere is 98.6% nitrogen, and in the near-surface layer, its content decreases to 95%. Thus, Titan and the Earth are the only bodies in the solar system with a dense atmosphere and a predominant content of nitrogen. The diagram shows the structure of Titan. In continuation of this topic, I advise you to read about the trip to Mars and Elon Musk's Space X project, which plans to make life on Mars a reality.

Titan receives very little solar energy in order to ensure the dynamics of atmospheric processes. It is likely that the powerful tidal influences of Saturn provide energy for moving atmospheric masses, 400 times stronger than the tides caused by the Moon on Earth. The latitudinal location of dune ridges, which are widespread on Titan, speaks in favor of the assumption of a tidal nature of the winds. The surface of Titan at low latitudes was divided into several bright and dark regions with clear boundaries. Near the equator on the leading hemisphere, there is a bright region the size of Australia (also visible in Hubble photographs), which is a mountain range. It was named Xanadu.

For a long time it was believed that our blue planet is the only place in the solar system where there are conditions for the existence of life forms. In reality, it turns out that the near space is not so lifeless anymore. Today we can safely say that within the reach of earthlings there are worlds in many respects similar to our home planet. This is evidenced by interesting facts obtained as a result of studies of the vicinity of the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn. Of course, there are no rivers and lakes with clear and clean water, and grass does not grow green on the endless plains, but under certain conditions, humanity could take up their development. One such object in the solar system is Titan, the largest moon of Saturn.

Representation of the largest satellite of Saturn

Titan today worries and occupies the minds of the astronomical community, although quite recently we looked at this celestial body, like other similar objects in the solar system, without much enthusiasm. It was only thanks to the flights of interplanetary space probes that it was discovered that liquid matter exists on this celestial body. It turns out that not far from us there is a world with seas and oceans, with a solid surface, shrouded in a dense atmosphere, very similar in structure to the earth's air shell. The size of Saturn's moon is also impressive. Its diameter is 5152 km, at 273 km. more than Mercury, the first planet in the solar system.

Previously, it was believed that the diameter of Titan is 5550 km. More accurate data on the size of the satellite have already been obtained in our time, thanks to the flights of the Voyager 1 spacecraft and the mission of the Cassini-Huygens probe. The first apparatus was able to detect a dense atmosphere on the satellite, and the Cassini expedition made it possible to measure the thickness of the air-gas shell, which is more than 400 km.

The mass of Titan is 1.3452 10²³ kg. According to this indicator, it is inferior to Mercury, as well as in density. The distant celestial body has a low density - only 1.8798 g / cm³. These data speak in favor of the fact that the structure of the satellite of Saturn differs significantly from the structure of the terrestrial planets, which are an order of magnitude more massive and heavier. In the Saturn system, this is the largest celestial body, the mass of which is 95% of the mass of the other 61 known moons of the gas giant.

Luckily and the location of the largest Titan. It runs in an orbit with a radius of 1,221,870 km at a speed of 5.57 km / s and stays outside the rings of Saturn. The orbit of this celestial body has an almost circular shape and is in the same plane as Saturn's equator. The orbital period of Titan around the parent planet is almost 16 days. Moreover, in this aspect, Titan is identical with our Moon, which rotates around its own axis synchronously with its owner. The satellite is always turned to the parent planet on one side. The orbital characteristics of the largest moon of Saturn ensure the change of seasons on it, however, due to the considerable distance of this system from the Sun, the seasons on Titan are quite long. The last summer season on Titan ended in 2009.

It is similar in size and mass to the other two largest moons in the solar system, Ganymede and Callisto. Such large sizes testify to the planetary theory of the origin of these celestial bodies. This is confirmed by the surface of the satellite, on which there are traces of active volcanic activity, which is a characteristic feature of the terrestrial planets.

For the first time, a photo of the surface of the satellite of Saturn was obtained using the Huygens probe, which safely landed on the surface of this celestial object on January 14, 2005. Even a cursory glance at the pictures gave every reason to believe that a new mysterious world was opening up before earthlings, living its own cosmic life. This is not the Moon, lifeless and deserted. This is the world of volcanoes and methane lakes. It is assumed that there is a vast ocean below the surface, possibly consisting of liquid ammonia or water.

Landing of the Huygens

The history of the discovery of Titan

For the first time, the existence of the satellites of Saturn was guessed by Galileo. Not having the technical ability to observe such distant objects, Galileo predicted their existence. Only Huygens, who already had a powerful telescope capable of magnifying objects 50 times, began to explore Saturn. It was he who managed to detect such a large celestial body revolving around a ringed gas giant. This event took place in 1655.

However, the name of the new celestial body had to wait. Initially, scientists agreed to give the discovered celestial body a name in honor of its discoverer. After the Italian Cassini discovered other satellites of the gas giant, they agreed to number the new celestial bodies of the Saturn system.

This idea was not continued, since other objects in the vicinity of Saturn were subsequently discovered.

The notation we use today was proposed by the Englishman John Herschel. They agreed that the largest satellites should have mythological names. Due to its size, Titan was the first on this list. The remaining seven large satellites of Saturn received names consonant with the names of the titans.

Atmosphere of Titan and its features

Among the celestial bodies of the solar system, Titan has perhaps the most curious air shell. The atmosphere of the satellite turned out to be in fact a dense layer of clouds, which for a long time prevented visual access to the very surface of the celestial body. The density of the air-gas layer is so high that at the surface of Titan the atmospheric pressure is 1.6 times higher than the terrestrial parameters. Compared to the Earth's air shell, the atmosphere on Titan has a significant thickness.

The main component of the titanium atmosphere is nitrogen, the share of which is 98.4%. Approximately 1.6% are argon and methane, which are mainly located in the upper layers of the air shell. With the help of space probes, other gaseous compounds were also found in the atmosphere:

• acetylene;
• methylacetylene;
• diacetylene;
• ethane;
• propane;
• carbon dioxide.

Small amounts of cyanide, helium and carbon monoxide are present. No free oxygen has been found in Titan's atmosphere.

Despite such a high density of the air-gas shell of the satellite, the absence of a strong magnetic field affects the state of the surface layers of the atmosphere. The upper atmosphere is exposed to the solar wind and cosmic radiation. Nitrogen (N) under the influence of these factors reacts, forming a number of curious nitrogen-containing compounds. Most of some of the compounds are deposited on the surface of the satellite, giving it a slightly orange tint. The history of methane is also interesting. Its composition in Titan's atmosphere is stable, although due to external influences, this light gas could have evaporated long ago.

Looking at the satellite's atmosphere in layers, one can notice a curious detail. The air shell on Titan is stretched in height and is clearly divided into two layers - near-surface and high-altitude. The troposphere begins at an altitude of 35 km. and ends with the tropopause at altitudes of 50 km. Here there are consistently low temperatures of -170⁰ C. Further, with altitude, the temperature drops to -120 degrees Celsius. Titan's ionosphere begins at an altitude of 1000-1200 km.

It is assumed that this composition of the atmosphere of Titan is due to its active volcanic past. The air layers saturated with ammonia vapor decomposed into nitrogen and hydrogen under the influence of cosmic ultraviolet, and other components are the result of physicochemical reactions. As heavier, nitrogen sank and became the main component of the titanium atmosphere. Hydrogen, due to the weak gravitational forces of the satellite, escaped into outer space.

The layers of Titan's atmosphere, the interaction of its chemical composition with the magnetic field of a celestial body contribute to the fact that the satellite has its own climate. The seasons on Titan change like Earth's seasons. At a time when one side of the satellite is facing the Sun, Titan is plunging into summer. Storms and hurricanes rage in its atmosphere. The air layers heated by sunlight are in constant convection, generating strong winds and significant movements of cloud masses. At altitudes of 30 km, the wind speed reaches 30 m/s. The higher, the more intense and powerful the turbulence of air masses. Unlike Earth, the cloud masses on Titan are concentrated in the polar regions.

The concentration of methane in the upper atmosphere explains the increase in temperature on the surface of the satellite due to the greenhouse effect. However, the presence of organic molecules in the composition of air masses allows ultraviolet to freely penetrate in both directions, cooling the surface layer of the titanium crust. The surface temperature is -180⁰С. The difference between the temperatures at the poles and at the equator is negligible - only 3 degrees.

High pressure and low temperatures contribute to the fact that water molecules in the atmosphere of the satellite completely evaporate (freeze).

The structure of the satellite: from the outer shell to the core

The assumption and conjectures about the structure of such a large celestial body were mainly based on the data of terrestrial optical observations. The dense atmosphere of Titan inclined scientists towards the hypothesis of the gas composition of the satellite, akin to the composition of the mother planet. However, after the flights of the Pioneer-11 and Voyager-2 space probes, it became clear that we are dealing with a celestial body whose structure is solid and stable.

Today, Titan is believed to have a crust similar to Earth's. The diameter of the core is approximately 3400 km, which is more than half the diameter of the celestial body. Between the core and the crust there is an ice layer, which differs in its composition. Probably, at certain depths, the ice transforms into a liquid structure. A comparison of images taken from the Cassini AMS with a difference of two years indicated the presence of a displacement of the satellite's surface layer. This information gave scientists a reason to believe that the surface of the satellite rests on a liquid layer, which consists of water and dissolved ammonia. The displacement of the crust is caused by the interaction of gravitational forces and the circulation of the atmosphere.

In its composition, Titan is a combination of ice and silicate rocks in equal proportions, which is very similar to the internal structure of Ganymede and Triton. However, due to the presence of a dense air shell, the structure of the satellite has its own differences and specifics.

The main features of a distant satellite

The mere presence of an atmosphere on Titan makes it unique and interesting for further study. Another thing is that the main highlight of the distant satellite of Saturn is the presence of large volumes of liquid on it. This failed planet is characterized by lakes and seas, in which waves of methane and ethane splash instead of water. The satellite has accumulations of cosmic ice on the surface, which owes its origin to water and ammonia.

Evidence of the existence of liquid matter on the surface of Titan came from photographs of a huge basin larger than the Caspian Sea in area. The huge sea of ​​liquid hydrocarbons is called the Kraken Sea. According to its composition, it is a huge natural reservoir of liquefied gases: ethane, propane and methane. Another large accumulation of fluid on Titan is the Ligeia Sea. Most of the lakes are concentrated in the northern hemisphere of Titan, which greatly increases the reflectivity of a distant celestial body. After the Cassini mission, it became clear that the surface is 30-40% covered with liquid matter collected in natural seas and lakes.

Such a huge amount of methane and ethane, which are in a frozen state, contributes to the development of certain forms of life. No, these will not be habitual terrestrial organisms, however, under such conditions, living organisms on Titan can take place. There are enough components and chemicals on the satellite for the formation of organisms and their subsequent existence.

Timeline of modern Titan exploration

It all started with the modest mission of the American Pioneer 11 probe, which in 1979 managed to give scientists the first pictures of a distant satellite. For a long time, the information received from the Pioneer was of little interest to astrophysicists. Progress in studying the vicinity of Saturn came after Voyager visits to this region of the solar system, which gave more detailed images of the satellite, taken from a distance of 5000 km. Scientists have received more accurate data on the size of this giant, the version about the existence of a dense atmosphere of the satellite has been confirmed.

Flight of the Pioneer

Infrared images taken from the Hubble Space Telescope have provided scientists with information about the composition of the moon's atmosphere. For the first time, light and dark regions were identified on the planetary disk, the nature of which remained unknown. For the first time, a theory was born that the surface of Titan is covered in some places with ice, which increases the reflectivity of the celestial body.

Success in the field of research came along with information received from the Cassini automatic interplanetary station. Launched in 1997, the Cassini mission is a common ESA development at NASA. Saturn became the main focus of research, but its satellites were not left without attention. So, to study Titan, the flight program included the stage of landing on the surface of Saturn's satellite of the Huygens probe. This device, created by the efforts of NASA and the Italian space agency, whose team decided to celebrate the anniversary of their glorious compatriot Giovanni Cassini, was supposed to descend to the surface of Titan.

Cassini orbiting Saturn

For 4 years, Cassini continued to work in the vicinity of Saturn. During this time, AMS flew twenty times near Titan, constantly receiving new data about the satellite and its behavior. Already one landing of the Huygens probe on Titan, which took place on March 14, 2007, is considered a tremendous success for the entire mission. Despite this, given the technical capabilities of the Cassini station and its great potential, it was decided to continue research on Saturn and its satellites until 2017.

The flight of Cassini and the landing of the Huygens spacecraft provided scientists with comprehensive information about what Titan really is. Photographs and video filming of the surface of Saturn's moon have shown that the upper layers of the crust are a mixture of mud and gaseous ice. The main fragments of the soil are stones and pebbles. Titan's landscape is an alternation of solid, elevated areas with lowlands. During the landing, pictures of the landscape were taken, which clearly marked the riverbeds and coastline.

Photo of Titan from the Huygens

Titan today and tomorrow

How the further study of the largest satellite will end is unknown. It is assumed that the conditions created in terrestrial laboratories, similar to those that exist on Titan, will shed light on the version of the possibility of the existence of life forms. Flights of space probes into this region of space are not yet planned. The information obtained is sufficient to model Titan under terrestrial conditions. How useful these studies will be, only time will tell. It remains only to wait and hope that Titan will reveal its secrets in the future, giving hope for its development.