The latest weather reports with Titan, moon of Saturn
Source:
A Method of radar scanning, which is usually used to measure the density of the snow caps at the poles of the Earth, was applied for the analysis of the surface methane seas, the largest satellite of the planet Saturn, Titan. As a result of analysis, the scientists found that Titan's surface is "close to mirror". Perhaps for those who hoped one day to stem the tide of hydrocarbons on the surfboard, and this is bad news but great for astronomers, because it has the potential to simplify the choice for landing a research probe on a satellite. Don't have to worry about dangerous waves and wind that could damage the research unit.
Measuring work was carried out by a team of researchers from the United States by means of radar statistical reconnaissance, and included the analysis of data collected by the spacecraft "Cassini" over the seas Legei, Kraken and the Lyre located in the Northern hemisphere of the satellite.
Previously, the same method proved to be very useful and effective in measuring the density of the ice of Antarctica and the Arctic, and to select a potential landing site for the space missions of NASA InSight on the Martian surface, which allowed the specialists of the jet propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for NASA to assume the method will be useful in the study of liquid surface of Titan.
The Interest in Titan is quite understandable, as this is the only place in the Solar system (besides Earth, of course), where on the surface of a planetary object is a liquid. Of course, most cryogens seas and lakes of the satellite consists of hydrocarbons like methane and ethane, not warm tropical water, but does in such a situation, particularly polymerase?
Even if we ignore the fact that the volume of hydrocarbons on the moon is several hundred times higher than fossil fuels on our planet, the diversity of the organic materials in these seas can speak about probability of presence of suitable for life chemistry. In addition, the satellite has a very dense hydrogen atmosphere and, quite possibly, even has a weather system in which there are hydrocarbon rains.
Between 2007 and 2015, the spacecraft Cassini has collected huge amount of data on radiostasionen Titanium, on which was built a very detailed map of the seas of the satellite, the surface of which, according to a recent analysis, almost as smooth as glass.
A New study offers a fresh perspective on the approximate condition of the surface texture, Reaffirming evidence that the waves in the seas of Titan is still there, but very tiny, which in turn allows to make some conclusions about the winds of the satellite.
"There is a huge desire to one day be planted there probes. And to be sure that this really happens, you need to make sure that the landing probes will be safe. In this case, you may not need a powerful wind," — says lead investigate Cyril Grima from the University of Texas Geophysics.
Makeup figured out that at the time of observation the spacecraft "Cassini" the height of the waves on the surface of the seas averaged about 6-10 millimeters in length in the 45-115 mm and angles from 1.1 to 2.4 degrees. For more "extreme" as the data show, the landing should be made on the Lyre of the sea, where the angle of the wave can reach as much as 5 degrees.
In General, as can be seen, the weather on Titan is hardly harsh.
"Our study shows that the waves on the seas of Titan is very weak. Probably because of the wind there is also virtually no" — says the make-up.
Waves on lakes and oceans of the Earth, mainly due to movement of air flows that come into contact with the water surface, transmit it to the particles kinetic energy. The motion of air masses is the result of convective air movement caused by warm sunlight heating one region of the Earth's surface is stronger than others. Titan, in turn, gets much less sunlight, has a dense cloud cover, so the relative lack of heat can explain such calm conditions on the surface. In addition, the molecules and particles of liquid hydrocarbons interact with each other otherwise.
The Titan cannot be called dead companion. It certainly is a lot of interesting things. But as it is a very cold place, then all the process it slowed somewhat. Therefore, even the presence of small ripples on the surface of its seas is very interesting news for scientists.
Recommended
Can genes create the perfect diet for you?
Diet on genotype can be a way out for many, but it still has a lot of questions Don't know what to do to lose weight? DNA tests promise to help you with this. They will be able to develop the most individual diet, because for this they will use the m...
How many extraterrestrial civilizations can exist nearby?
If aliens exist, why don't we "hear" them? In the 12th episode of Cosmos, which aired on December 14, 1980, co-author and host Carl Sagan introduced viewers to the same equation of astronomer Frank Drake. Using it, he calculated the potential number ...
Why does the most poisonous plant in the world cause severe pain?
The pain caused to humans by the Gimpi-gympie plant can drive him crazy Many people consider Australia a very dangerous place full of poisonous creatures. And this is a perfectly correct idea, because this continent literally wants to kill everyone w...
Related News
The ability to change memories is now even closer
Neuroscientists have recently discovered that the formation of different types of memory though they use the same neurons, but they occur in different processes. The discovery could lead to the development of new and more effectiv...
How justified is the hype on how to improve the brain?
Despite bold predictions from several Technocomplex about the future of neural interfaces, science extensions of the brain is still in its infancy. What do scientists think about all this hype that comes from Silicon valley? Mikha...
DeepMind learns his AI thinking humanly
last year, the artificial intelligence AlphaGo for the first time won the world champion in the game. This victory was unprecedented and unexpected, given the high complexity of the Chinese Board games. Although the victory AlphaG...
In South Korea, will build the largest rotating solar power station on water
to Increase the efficiency of solar power plants in different ways. One option involves the creation of a floating solar power plant, which rotates and adjusts the position of the Sun in the sky. About the imminent creation of one...
Have more, own less: the divided economy of the future
If you are among those people who welcomes a divided economy, you probably would prefer to sleep in other people's homes and drive foreign cars. You might also would not like to see piles of books, compact or optical disc, watched...
Japan will send a man to the moon in 2030
Rather ambitious intentions of the Japanese astronauts have become famous once was published the new work plan of the Japanese aerospace exploration Agency (JAXA), previously approved by the government. a spokesman for JAXA told ...
Organization of Space for Humanity to help the common people to fly into space
If you — an astronaut, a famous actor, musician or a businessman who has a lot of money, then you can easily fly in space. Astronauts fly there, and wealthy tourists have already started to sell tickets, because the Russian ...
falling on our planet constantly. Some reach the surface, but most are still burning in the atmosphere. found today the meteorite is considered a "Goba", weight of 65 tonnes, and the volume is 9 cubic meters. All in all, on the G...
Vaccination against influenza can replace plaster
In the United States successfully ended clinical trials of a unique plaster acting as alternatives to traditional injection flu vaccines. The trick is that the inner surface of the pad contains microneedles that painlessly penetra...
Sometimes the human mind can be so outstanding that will change the world. We don't know why these people are superior to others, but science is trying to find the answer to this question. the Museum of medical history of mutter ...
Scientists have found a planet, the hotter most well-known us stars
Astronomers have discovered one of the most unusual at the moment exoplanets. It is a gas giant similar to our Jupiter, but located so close to its star that makes a complete revolution around it in just 1.5 days. As a result, the...
The root of the intellect may be concluded in one equation
According to Dr. Joe Tina, a leading neuroscientist at the University of Augusta in Georgia, the key to intelligence lies in one simple, unassuming equation: N = 2i – 1. The theory of connectedness Tina is the description of how o...
10 sad facts about life after the Apocalypse
When the bombs stop falling, the face of the planet will change forever. For 50 years this fear has not left people. Enough for one person to push the button — break out a nuclear Apocalypse. Today, we have not so much exper...
Astronomers have obtained the most detailed picture of the surface of a distant star
an international team of astronomers working with Takashi a large antenna array of millimeter range (ALMA), the largest complex of radio telescopes received the most detailed image of the surface of a distant star that ever was cr...
"Solar paint" is able to produce fuel out of thin air
Turns out, the air can become almost infinite source of energy. And a new study showed the opportunity. Because the air is saturated solar steam and the surface of the Earth illuminates and warms the Sun. This means — the av...
Finnish scientists have created an artificial iris of the eye
the human Eye – a device is quite tricky. For example, depending on the level of the surrounding light, our pupils change size, so we can better see in the dark or blinded by bright sunlight. Scientists have long tried to recreate...
Uranus never ceases to amaze scientists
If David Lynch was commissioned to develop the planet, then this planet would definitely become Uranium. Because with this degree of strangeness that surround it and sometimes have no logical explanation, could handle only the Dir...
How close are we to the first successful human cloning?
human Cloning has become a very popular subject of science fiction, and we are desperate to wait for him to step over from the pages and screens in real life. However, in fact, we can be much closer to it than usual for us sci-Fi ...
Physicists have discovered how to actually create plasma emissions from the Sun
After more than a century of observations and several theories, scientists seem to finally have figured out the nature of the fast plasma emission occurring several times a day. Using a high level computer model, the researchers w...
Engineers NII "Polyus" developed automatic control system, the condition of buildings
Software and hardware, developed by engineers at research Institute "Polyus" and the holding company «Schwabe» will effectively monitor the condition of buildings, identifying defects in construction and thus promptly co...
Comments (0)
This article has no comment, be the first!