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BWF89
July 31st, 2006, 01:01 PM
Cassini, a European and United States space probe, has taken pictures of what appear to be lakes on the surface of Saturn's moon, Titan. If the findings are confirmed, then Titan will be the only other planetary mass, other than Earth, to have liquid lakes on their surfaces. Some of the 'lakes' also contain channels that lead to and from them. The lakes are believed to have been formed by rainfall of liquid methane or ethane.

Some radar images of the lakes and channels leading to and from them, show areas of black, which indicate that there is no image to display and scientists say that it could mean the surface of the 'lakes' are very smooth and flat.

"What we see is darker than anything we've ever seen elsewhere on Titan. It was almost as though someone laid a bull's-eye around the whole north pole of Titan, and Cassini sees these regions of lakes just like those we see on Earth," said U.S. Geological Survey Cassini interdisciplinary scientist, Larry Soderblom.

So far scientists have found at least 12 lakes which range between 6 and 62 miles wide.

"It was a real potpourri," said University of Arizona Cassini scientist, Jonathan Lunine.

"We've always believed Titan's methane had to be maintained by liquid lakes or extensive underground 'methanofers,' the methane equivalent of aquifers. We can't see methanofers but we can now say we've seen lakes ," added Lunine.
SOURCE: http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Cassini_photographs_possible_lakes_on_Saturn%27s_m oon%2C_Titan

PICTURES: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/153394main_pia08630-browse.jpg

Kimm
July 31st, 2006, 01:30 PM
Very interesting.
At first I thought it was about frozen water at the surface of the moon, something that we have known about for quite some time. But this proved to be alot more interesting.

What do you say about building a spaceship and going up there for a swim? :P

mcduck
July 31st, 2006, 01:36 PM
What do you say about building a spaceship and going up there for a swim? :P
Well, I come from Finland so I'm used to low temperatures, but liquid methane lakes sound a bit too cold for me :rolleyes:

richbarna
July 31st, 2006, 02:45 PM
Well, I come from Finland so I'm used to low temperatures, but liquid methane lakes sound a bit too cold for me :rolleyes:

Liquid methane !? I drink that just to cool down :)

Interesting thread by the way. You should try and find links about a guy called JJ Benitez, he had NASA video footage of buildings on the Moon that were supposedly 1000's of years old.
Here are some photos (http://www.planetabenitez.com/galeria3.htm)

Site in Spanish (http://www.planetabenitez.com/especial12.htm)

The video is pretty cool, but I can't find the download link. The documentary involved trying to prove if the film was a fake, and they concluded with the help of Kodak image testing and film experts that it wasn't. Scary.

Lord Illidan
July 31st, 2006, 02:50 PM
I for one welcome our liquid mercury alien overlords.

Kimm
July 31st, 2006, 03:56 PM
Well, I come from Finland so I'm used to low temperatures, but liquid methane lakes sound a bit too cold for me :rolleyes:

Pfffft, thats just childish.
Anything above -272,7 degrees C is JUST FINE thank you! ;) :-P :cool:

G Morgan
July 31st, 2006, 04:36 PM
"If the findings are confirmed, then Titan will be the only other planetary mass, other than Earth, to have liquid lakes on their surfaces."

That's not true anyway. There are liquid lakes on Io they are just lava instead of Methane or Water.

Spacecaptain
July 31st, 2006, 06:10 PM
Yup, Io would have lakes of sulfur and derivatives. Is lava a generic term for molten mantle-material or is it only to be applied to earthly molten mantle?

What is so special about Titan's (and Earth's) liquid reservoirs is that they don't imply volcanic mechanisms, but rather involve an atmospheric cycle (evaporation-precipitation). This cycle is actually what allows for Titan's methane athmosphere to endure for long perios of time. Otherwise we would have trouble explainig why there is still methane left on Titan. Volcanic origin was tentatively proposed untill now, but it fit the picture very badly.
Lakes had to be somewhere!

mcduck
July 31st, 2006, 06:20 PM
Pfffft, thats just childish.
Anything above -272,7 degrees C is JUST FINE thank you! ;) :-P :cool:

I'm sorry.

I had to check the melting point for methane and it's just -182C. So it's not that cold after all, actually a bit warmer than summer in Finland :D

G Morgan
July 31st, 2006, 06:38 PM
Yup, Io would have lakes of sulfur and derivatives. Is lava a generic term for molten mantle-material or is it only to be applied to earthly molten mantle?

What is so special about Titan's (and Earth's) liquid reservoirs is that they don't imply volcanic mechanisms, but rather involve an atmospheric cycle (evaporation-precipitation). This cycle is actually what allows for Titan's methane athmosphere to endure for long perios of time. Otherwise we would have trouble explainig why there is still methane left on Titan. Volcanic origin was tentatively proposed untill now, but it fit the picture very badly.
Lakes had to be somewhere!

Personally I think Io should be the new Austrailia in the future era of space colonialise. Lets see them practice sports there.

Lord Illidan
July 31st, 2006, 06:41 PM
I'm sorry.

I had to check the melting point for methane and it's just -182C. So it's not that cold after all, actually a bit warmer than summer in Finland :D

Now that they won the Eurovision, hell has frozen over, don't forget!

Biltong (Dee)
July 31st, 2006, 06:58 PM
Personally I think Io should be the new Austrailia in the future era of space colonialise. Lets see them practice sports there.

No problem.
The All Blacks, Wallabies and Springboks have been training there for years. Tis the reason why you pansy northern lot have such a hard time beating us. :D