Titan's Methane Mystery

unluckyluciano · Feb 2, 2009

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I thought this was interesting:

Imagine a world where the average daytime temperature is -179°C, and torrential rains of liquid methane fall from the skies, forming vast but shallow pools that cover an area larger than the Great Lakes. Although the scene may smack of science fiction, it's actually Saturn's biggest moon, Titan, according to the latest results from NASA's Cassini spacecraft. The work suggests that frigid Titan actually resembles Earth in some key ways, such as seasonal weather, and it also hints at the possibility that the moon holds vast underground reservoirs of liquid hydrocarbons--a first for any other body in the solar system.
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Desides · Feb 2, 2009

The real question is, "Where did all the cows go?"

Celtkin · Feb 2, 2009

Desides said:

The real question is, "Where did all the cows go?"
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According to the researchers, the source most likely lies beneath the surface of the moon. There may be volcanoes releasing plumes of methane, instead of lava, from the interior. That methane, a leftover from the primordial gas cloud that formed Titan, could be plentiful enough to sustain the rainy weather.
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http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2009/130/2?rss=1

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Titan's Methane Mystery

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