this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2024
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interestingasfuck

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interestingasfuck

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[–] [email protected] 65 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Image from 2022 using infrared imaging with the goal of spotting clouds on Titan. The white spot that looks like a bubble reflection on the upper right of the image (1 o'clock?) is a cloud.

This is not true color, but colors assigned to different the wavelengths that we otherwise cannot see. Visible light would not have allowed imaging deep enough into the atmosphere to see clouds.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Surely you mean "to see anything but clouds", right?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago

Nope! They got to see two cloud actually! A second set of images exists from Keck Observatory with the other cloud.

The thick atmosphere isn't cloudy, just dense with methane.

I'm not 100%, but the clouds are exciting I think because they demonstrate seasonal changes.

[–] [email protected] 48 points 11 months ago (6 children)

A clearer picture, for those interested:

http://annesastronomynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Titan.jpg

Source

From the source:

Titan is the only object other than Earth where liquid hydrocarbon lakes and seas have actually been found (by Cassini) in its polar regions – in abundance in the north polar region and at least one of approximately 20,000 km2, called Ontario Lacus, on its south pole. Just recently, there have also been long-standing methane lakes, or puddles, in Titan’s “tropics” discovered.

[–] [email protected] 36 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Titan is the only object other than Earth where liquid hydrocarbon lakes and seas

The US would like to know your location

[–] [email protected] 21 points 11 months ago (2 children)

For some reason, there are terrorists on Titan. The USA is preparing the Space Marines

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

A division of space force.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

This makes me wonder what would happen if someone ignited large explosives by some of these hydrocarbon pools… since there’s plenty of water ice, there’s oxygen tied up to react with…

[–] [email protected] 11 points 11 months ago

It looks far less habitable up close lol.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

With its liquids (both surface and subsurface) and robust nitrogen atmosphere, Titan's methane cycle bears a striking similarity to Earth's water cycle, albeit at the much lower temperature of about 94 K (−179 °C; −290 °F).

That's way too cold in my opinion!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Humans are pretty good at warming things up

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

The future ski holiday destination of the rich

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[–] [email protected] 42 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Well, are they gonna let it out before Saturn notices its missing??? Saturn's a big planet, I hope it doesn't notice

[–] [email protected] 11 points 11 months ago

Gotta catch em all!

[–] [email protected] 19 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I can't wait for the conspiracy theorists to say it has water oceans.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Umm it pretty clearly does.

Source: it comes in blue

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

That's just what Big Primary Colors want you to think.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

Yeah, to sell printer ink.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago

People who instantly believe every thought that occurs to them aren't conspiracy theorists per se, but there's not a lot of cleavage in that Venn diagram.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (5 children)

Very blurry for a powerful telescope. Wonder if it’s because moon is moving fast relative to close telescope so the effective shutter speed needs to be relatively high?

[–] [email protected] 31 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Have we ruled out that the moon might just look like that? Like all fuzzy? How 'bout it, NASA?

[–] [email protected] 21 points 11 months ago (1 children)

JWST primarily looks at very large objects that are far away. Titan (and really everything in the solar system) is relatively close to us, but are tiny in comparison to galaxies/nebulae, so their actual size as they appear in the sky is a lot smaller.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Also of note, most objects in the outer solar system are very dim.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

Can't really claim we're all that bright in the inner solar system either.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Must've left his glasses back on Earth

[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago

Subtle dig at Hubble, I like it

[–] [email protected] 17 points 11 months ago

I would assume it's because the object is too close. Like trying to do macro photography without a macro lense.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Titan is about 40% the size of the planet Earth, and is the 10th largest object in the solar system.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Going from memory here...

Sun, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus/Neptune (don't recall which order those two belong in), Earth, Venus, Mars, Mercury, then finally Titan.

I'll look it up in a moment, but I wanted to post off the top of my head.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Ah! I was a little off. Ganymede and Titan are BOTH larger than tiny little Mercury.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 11 months ago (1 children)

what are the colors? I'm guessing thats not visible spectrum

[–] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago

yeah, i believe that JWST can't see visible spectrum at all, so this must be infrared light

[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago

Yooooo! It's beautiful!!! 😍

[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

odd that it can pick up light from the universe's placenta but can't get a good shot of that kid down the street

[–] [email protected] 18 points 11 months ago (1 children)

remember that JWST doesn't do visible spectrum and, regardless, it's specialized for faint distant objects. From JWST's perspective, Titan emits a lot of light. It's kind of like using a telephoto lens to take a picture of your foot.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

The bad English makes it read as if there are other, larger, moons of Saturn, but the JWST hasn't captured them yet.

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