this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2024
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interestingasfuck

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[–] [email protected] 63 points 7 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] 5 points 7 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 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] 50 points 7 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] 35 points 7 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

[–] satanmat 19 points 7 months ago (2 children)

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

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

A division of space force.

[–] abigscaryhobo 8 points 7 months ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 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…

[–] OhmsLawn 11 points 7 months ago

It looks far less habitable up close lol.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Why the blur if the telescope is so powerful?

[–] OhmsLawn 17 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

Titan is small, and distant, when compared to the photo in the thread.

The photo in this thread is by Cassini, which was at least a thousand of times closer. Titan is 1.2 million KM from Saturn, which Cassini was orbiting, while Earth, which JWST "orbits" is at least 1.2 billion KM from Saturn.

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[–] L3mmyW1nks 6 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 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!

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[–] Godric 44 points 7 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

[–] Valmond 11 points 7 months ago

Gotta catch em all!

[–] Etterra 19 points 7 months ago (3 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 19 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Umm it pretty clearly does.

Source: it comes in blue

[–] [email protected] 9 points 7 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] Etterra 4 points 7 months ago

Yeah, to sell printer ink.

[–] Gradually_Adjusting 8 points 7 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] 4 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

Isn't that an actual scientific theory about it? That it could have an ocean of liquid water under the surface of ice? Maybe I'm thinking of a different moon...

[–] smackjack 5 points 7 months ago (2 children)

That's Europa. The thinking is that Europa may have life in its oceans beneath the ice that feed off of geothermal vents and therefore don't require any sunlight.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Almost looks like earth but with more land than water.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 7 months ago (1 children)

In infrared. Titan basically looks like a brownish grey blob to the naked eye due to its incredibly dense atmosphere.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

Knowing it's just color shifted makes me wonder if that white band in the upper right that looks like a reflection off the atmosphere is actually a reflection off the atmosphere. And also what method of color shifting was used. Are the colors representative of anything or did they just pick what made for the best photo?

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 7 months ago (6 children)

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

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 7 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] kinsnik 14 points 7 months ago

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

[–] HootinNHollerin 14 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 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?

[–] themeatbridge 30 points 7 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] 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Titanically baked, blaze new world

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[–] lefty7283 21 points 7 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.

[–] johannesvanderwhales 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] Buddahriffic 5 points 7 months ago

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

[–] BigDaddySlim 18 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Must've left his glasses back on Earth

[–] clif 12 points 7 months ago

Subtle dig at Hubble, I like it

[–] slazer2au 17 points 7 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] 12 points 7 months ago

Yooooo! It's beautiful!!! 😍

[–] unreasonabro 9 points 7 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

[–] rappo 18 points 7 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] 3 points 7 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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