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Collection:
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NASA Solarsystem Collection
Collection
NASA Solarsystem Collection
Collection
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title:
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Titan in Detail
title
Titan in Detail
title
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description:
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New images of unsurpassed clarity have been obtained with the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) of formations on the surface of Titan, the largest moon in the Saturnian system. They were made by an international research team [1] during recent commissioning observations with the "Simultaneous Differential Imager (SDI)", a novel optical device, just installed at the NACO Adaptive Optics instrument.
The images show a number of surface regions with very different reflectivity. Of particular interest are several large "dark" areas of uniformly low reflectivity. One possible interpretation is that they represent huge surface reservoirs of liquid hydrocarbons.
These views of Titan, obtained on six nights in February 2004. At the right, the image from the first night (Feburary 1-2, 2004) has been enlarged for clarity and the coordinate grid on Titan is indicated. The images are false-colour renderings with the three SDI wavebands as red (1.575 ?m; surface), green (1.600 ?m; surface) and blue (1.625 ?m; atmosphere), respectively.
*Image Credit*: European Southern Observatory
description
New images of unsurpassed clarity have been obtained with the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) of formations on the surface of Titan, the largest moon in the Saturnian system. They were made by an international research team [1] during recent commissioning observations with the "Simultaneous Differential Imager (SDI)", a novel optical device, just installed at the NACO Adaptive Optics instrument.
The images show a number of surface regions with very different reflectivity. Of particular interest are several large "dark" areas of uniformly low reflectivity. One possible interpretation is that they represent huge surface reservoirs of liquid hydrocarbons.
These views of Titan, obtained on six nights in February 2004. At the right, the image from the first night (Feburary 1-2, 2004) has been enlarged for clarity and the coordinate grid on Titan is indicated. The images are false-colour renderings with the three SDI wavebands as red (1.575 ?m; surface), green (1.600 ?m; surface) and blue (1.625 ?m; atmosphere), respectively.
*Image Credit*: European Southern Observatory
description
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keywords:
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Solar System Exploration
keywords
Solar System Exploration
keywords
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keywords:
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SSE
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keywords:
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Space
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keywords:
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NASA
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keywords:
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration
keywords
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
keywords
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keywords:
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JPL
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keywords:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory
keywords
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
keywords
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keywords:
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Planets
keywords
Planets
keywords
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facet_what:
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Moon
facet_what
Moon
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Imager
facet_what
Imager
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Titan
facet_what
Titan
facet_what
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facet_what:
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ESO
facet_what
ESO
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Very Large Telescope
facet_what
Very Large Telescope
facet_what
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facet_what:
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VLT
facet_what
VLT
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Titan (Saturn Moon)
facet_what
Titan (Saturn Moon)
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
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facet_when:
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February 2004
facet_when
February 2004
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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2004
facet_when_year
2004
facet_when_year
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UID:
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SPD-SLRSY-1705
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original url:
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original_url
original url
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