Titan is the second-largest moon in the Solar System, larger than Mercury. But, that’s not all. That’s because it has astounding features that are unique in our system.
Titan’s Dimensions and Orbit
Like other introductions, we first talk about the object, or problem’s dimensions. Titan is a massive moon in the Solar System — as wide as 5,150 kilometers. In fact, its the second-widest natural satellite in the Solar System, falling short of Ganymede. It is also distant from the Sun — 9.5 astronomical units away.
Because of its distance to Saturn, Titan takes only 16 days to orbit the ringed planet and is tidally locked, meaning that its day-night cycle also lasts 16 Earth days. It’s far away from Rhea, the previous moon, but has a 4:3 resonance with Hyperion.
Titan’s Earth-like Features
The Atmosphere
In the atmosphere, things start to get gripping. Although other moons have a exospheres, none of them except Titan has one so substantial, that it is a proper atmosphere. What’s more, the layer surrounding the moon is four times as dense as that of Earth’s, according to an article in NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Like Earth, the satellite’s atmosphere is mostly nitrogen, but the concentration (95%) is so high that it’s hard to breathe.
Due to its low gravity, the atmosphere it has hold onto stretches about 600 kilometers above the surface, a few times higher than Earth’s. Furthermore, its potential habitability may be due to some chemical reactions high up in the atmosphere. Sunlight can break up the molecules, including methane and nitrogen, in the envelope of gases, and transmute into organic molecules that captivate scientists.
The Surface
Also, the satellite is the only one that contains liquid on its surface. Even better, Titan has rivers, lakes, and oceans, just like what there is on Earth. However, the liquids are hydrocarbons like methane and ethane instead of water. So, they might harbor unknown life. But, there are probably some liquid water deep beneath Titan’s surface, and that may be home to life as we know it.
Moreover, Titan’s surface is one of the most Earth-like locations in the Solar System, albeit being vastly colder and having different chemicals. It is so piercing that its surface temperature is about -179 Celsius, which is more frigid than most places in our system. On Titan, liquid water plays the role of lava, a freezing version of liquefied magma.
Further Explorations
Titan fascinates astrobiologists so much that NASA decided to launch a probe to land on the satellite in 2027 — Dragonfly. It will fly controllably to land at various locations to traverse through Titan.
So, here’s the simple introduction to Titan, which is an astonishing world in the Solar System. We hope you can learn more about the staggering object in the references below.
References, Credits, and Links
- (2019, December 19). In Depth | Titan – NASA Solar System Exploration. Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/saturn-moons/titan/in-depth/
- NASA, (2020, November 25). What You Need to Know About Saturn’s Moon Titan – YouTube. Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr4r70DWShk
- (n.d.). chapter 8 – NASA History Division. Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://history.nasa.gov/SP-345/ch8.htm
- Lonnie Shekhtman, (2020, October 27). NASA Scientists Discover ‘Weird’ Molecule in Titan’s Atmosphere – NASA. Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/nasa-scientists-discover-a-weird-molecule-in-titan-s-atmosphere
Credits: Google Docs, NASA’s Eyes