researchers find crater on saturn’s moon the size
Researchers Find Crater On Saturn’s Moon The Size Of The Netherlands
The radar instrument aboard the NASA/European Space Agency Cassini spotted a huge impact crater on the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan during a fly-by this week.
The crater is about the size of the Netherlands, the European Space Agency said.
“This is the first impact feature identified in radar images of Titan,” the ESA said.
“The surface of Titan appears to be very young compared to other Saturnian satellites. In Titan's case, debris raining down from the atmosphere or other geological processes may mask or remove the craters. “
Meanwhile, scientists say new data from Saturn's moon, shows Titan has all the elements we're made of, but its deep cold keeps it forever frozen in its youth.
The data is from the Huygens spacecraft sitting on Titan's surface.
Scientists on an international monitoring team say Titan's minus-290-degree-Fahrenheit temperature prevented the chemical reactions thought to have occurred on Earth that may have led to the development of life.
If Titan could warm up, said one team member, Tobias Owen, “it would be beautiful," but it's in a permanent deep freeze.
There is some evidence of volcanic-like vents that spew ice instead of lava.
The Cassini spacecraft, orbiting above Titan, shows channels resembling volcanic features, but they may have been carved by creeping ice, not molten rock.
