Sunlight Glints from Lake on Saturn's Moon

Friday, December 18, 2009 - 12:14 in Astronomy & Space

NASA's Cassini spacecraft spotted the first reflection off a northern lake on Saturn's moon Titan Titan's Glinting Lake: Cassini's infrared vision allowed it to peer through the clouds and catch the sunlight sparkling on one of Titan's lakes.  NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/DLRA haze of methane enshrouds Saturn's largest moon, Titan, and prevents scientists from seeing most sunlight reflections off the surface. But NASA's Cassini orbiter managed to snap a stunning image of sunlight glinting off a huge, liquid methane lake -- a smoking gun that confirms liquid in the northern hemisphere. Titan remains the only other planetary body besides Earth known to have liquid on its surface, and appears eerily similar to our world as far as rain and other weather patterns. But instead of liquid water, methane and ethane drizzle down from Titan's atmosphere and fill the many lakes dotting the moon. The newly revealed visual and infrared image was taken back on...

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