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Xanadu's Meandering Rivers
| Description |
Xanadu's Meandering Rivers |
| Full Description |
A network of river channels is located atop Xanadu, the continent-sized region on Saturn's moon Titan. This radar image was captured by the Cassini Radar Mapper on April 30, 2006. These winding, meandering river channels start from the top of the image and run like a fork in the road, splitting to the right and left of the image. At Titan's chilly conditions, streams of methane and/or ethane might flow across parts of the region. The picture is roughly 230 kilometers (143 miles) wide by 340 kilometers (211 miles) long, and shows features as small as 500 meters (1,640 feet). The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL |
| Date |
July 19, 2006 |
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Titan's Geological Goldmine
…
| Description |
Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn. |
| Full Description |
Cassini's powerful radar eyes have uncovered a geologic goldmine in a region called Xanadu on Saturn's moon Titan. Panning west to east, the geologic features include river channels, mountains and hills, a crater and possible lakes. The movie shows the location mapped with the Cassini Radar Mapper using its Synthetic Aperture Radar imaging mode on April 30, 2006. The global map shows the areas mapped so far by radar. The radar swaths are superimposed on a false-color image made from observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Cassini's radar has revealed a variety of geologic features, including impact craters, wind-blown deposits, channels and cryovolcanic features. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. Credit: NASA/JPL |
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Two Sides of Dunes
| Description |
Two Sides of Dunes |
| Full Description |
This pair of images, taken by the Cassini spacecraft radar mapper on two different Titan passes on Dec. 11, 2006 (T21 left), and Oct. 29, 2005 (T8 right), represent two different views of a field of dunes located near 9.4 degrees south latitude by 290 degrees west longitude. The images were taken in synthetic aperture mode and have a resolution of approximately 500 meters (1,640 feet). North is toward the top of both images, and each image is approximately 400 kilometers (250 miles) long by 275 kilometers (170 miles) wide. The images are different only because the radar instrument illuminated the dunes from different directions. Acting somewhat like a flash camera, the radar sends out microwave pulses and makes an image from the pulses after they are reflected back. Imagine that both the "camera" and the "flash" come from the left in the left image and from the top in the right image. Most obvious differences are seen in the large bright feature at the center of both images. At left, its left edge is brighter, emphasizing the more steep slopes there. Farther left, the dunes are more clearly defined in the right image as their faces are caught by the illumination. However, since the dunes are visible in both images, it is likely that the materials making up the dark and light stripes are also somehow different. More detailed studies of how materials on Titan reflect and scatter at different angles are giving us clues about what different materials might be present in this cold and distant world. For more information about dunes on Titan, see Dunes Galore. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm. *Credit:* NASA/JPL |
| Date |
January 11, 2007 |
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Titan Dunes over Possible Cr
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| Description |
Titan Dunes over Possible Craters (T23) |
| Full Description |
This radar image of Titan's well-known dunes is distinctive because it may show an age relationship between different classes of features on the surface of this frigid world. Taken by Cassini's radar mapper on Jan. 13, 2007, during a flyby of Titan, three kinds of terrain can be seen. Throughout the image, the fine striping has been identified as dunes, possibly made from organic material and formed by wind activity. Dunes are a common landform on Titan (see Two Sides of Dunes and Swimming in Dunes). The bright material at the lower right of the image is interpreted as being topographically higher than the dunes that go around it, and several circular features seen at the top center may be craters that are slowly being buried by the dunes. Since the dunes seem to lie over the craters, the dune activity probably occurred later in time. This image was taken in synthetic aperture mode and has a resolution of approximately 350 meters (1,150 feet). North is toward the top left corner of the image, which is approximately 160 kilometers (100 miles) long by 150 kilometers (90 miles) wide. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm. *Credit:* NASA/JPL |
| Date |
January 24, 2007 |
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Cat Scratches
| Description |
Cat Scratches |
| Full Description |
This image is a portion of the swath acquired by the Cassini Titan radar mapper on Feb. 15, 2005, on the mission's second opportunity to image the surface with radar. The frame, measuring about 300 kilometers (186 miles) from top to bottom, shows an area near the northeast corner of the large optically bright region named Xanadu. Running across the image are a series of roughly parallel, mostly east-west dark linear features that join and separate, which are not seen in the previous radar images. They may be formed by the action of eastward-flowing winds, or geologic processes acting on the crust itself. In places they cut through adjacent terrain, while elsewhere the lineaments seem to be interrupted by brighter material, appearing again on the other side. Seams between radar segments are visible as horizontal, sawtooth-shaped lines. Bright material in radar images may be rough or sloped toward the radar (which is observing from the top in this frame). Also, some of what is seen may in fact be below the surface, revealed as the radio waves penetrate overlying, radar-transparent material. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument team is based at JPL, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. *Credit:* NASA/JPL |
| Date |
February 16, 2005 |
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A New Crater on Titan?
| Description |
This radar image of Titan shows a semi-circular feature that may be part of an impact crater. Very few impact craters have been seen on Titan so far, implying that the surface is young. |
| Full Description |
This radar image of Titan shows a semi-circular feature that may be part of an impact crater. Very few impact craters have been seen on Titan so far, implying that the surface is young. Each new crater identified on Titan helps scientists to constrain the age of the surface. Taken by Cassini's radar mapper on Jan. 13, 2007, during a flyby of Titan, the image swath revealed what appeared to be the northernmost half of an impact crater. This crater is roughly 180 kilometers (110 miles) wide. Only three impact craters have been identified on Titan and several others, like this one, are likely to also have been caused by impact. The bright material is interpreted to be part of the crater's ejecta blanket, and is likely topographically higher than the surrounding plains. The inner part of the crater is dark, and may represent smooth deposits that have covered the inside of the crater. This image was taken in synthetic aperture mode and has a resolution of approximately 350 meters (1,150 feet). North is toward the top left corner of the image, which is approximately 240 kilometers (150 miles) wide by 140 kilometers (90 miles) high. The image is centered at about 26.5 degrees north and 9 degrees west. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm. Credit: NASA/JPL |
| Date |
February 16, 2007 |
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Radar Sees Lakes in Titan's
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| Description |
Cassini's radar instrument finds lakes in the southern hemisphere of Titan during the most recent Titan flyby. |
| Full Description |
Cassini's radar instrument finds lakes in the southern hemisphere of Titan during the most recent Titan flyby. This is the first confirmation of lakes in the southern hemisphere with the radar instrument. Hundreds of lakes have already been discovered and imaged by radar at Titan's north pole. This finding is important to scientists who are trying to understand how Titan's environment works. Cassini completed its 37th flyby of Saturn's moon Titan on Oct. 2, 2007, allowing the Cassini Titan Radar Mapper to obtain this southernmost image to date. Shown here is a portion of the image swath and an inset with details of a small portion in false color. Titan's south pole is at the bottom center. The nature and similarities between the northern and southern near-polar regions supports the idea that much of Titan's poles are climate-driven. A few small dark patches - liquid-hydrocarbon-filled lakes - stand out, at about 70 degrees south, and are highlighted in the insert (lakes are colored blue). Other features in the scene include broad, steep-sided depressions adjoined to sinuous depressions, interpreted to be empty topographic basins or drained lakes fed by channels, and complex mottled terrain, akin to those at similar northern latitudes. Similarities in features between northern and southern hemispheres imply that the climatic conditions are also similar. The image shown here is a 1.4-kilometer (0.87-mile) resolution, 2,250-kilometer (1,400 mile) subsection of a 4,500-kilometer (2,800-mile) long swath, which is 150 kilometers (93 miles) wide at the narrowest point. The insert is 90 by 90 kilometers (56 by 56 miles), centered at 70.5 degrees south and 113.9 degrees west. Future southern flybys will image closer to the pole and are expected to show more lakes. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm . Credit: NASA/JPL/USGS |
| Date |
October 11, 2007 |
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Circus Maximus
| Description |
Circus Maximus |
| Full Description |
A huge annular feature with an outer diameter of approximately 440 kilometers (273 miles) appears in this image taken with Cassini's Titan radar mapper. It resembles a large crater or part of a ringed basin, either of which could be formed when a comet or asteroid tens of kilometers in size slammed into Titan. This is the first impact feature identified in radar images of Titan. 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 geologic processes may mask or remove the craters. The pattern of brightness suggests that there is topography associated with this feature, for example, in the center of the image there appear to be mounds each about 25 kilometers (15 miles) across. Since they are dark on their lower edges that face away from the radar and bright on the opposite face, they must be elevated above the surrounding terrain. This image is a part of a larger swath acquired on Feb. 15, 2005, on Cassini's second opportunity to map Titan's surface via radar. Seams between radar segments are visible as horizontal, sawtooth-shaped lines. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument team is based at JPL, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. *Credit:* NASA/JPL |
| Date |
February 16, 2005 |
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Titan Viewed by Cassini's Ra
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| Description |
Titan Viewed by Cassini's Radar - Flat Map |
| Full Description |
This map of Saturn's moon Titan shows the location of the upcoming Oct. 28, 2005, Titan flyby and the areas mapped so far by the Cassini Radar Mapper using its Synthetic Aperture Radar imaging mode. Longitudes are labeled at the bottom of the map. The radar swaths are superimposed on a false-color image made from observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The far left image shows the location of the radar swath for the upcoming Oct. 28 flyby. The location of the Huygens landing site is marked in red. The overlap between the Huygens data and the radar data will give new clues to the nature of the surface seen by the Huygens probe, which landed on Titan in January 2005. On the top right is the radar swath from the first Titan flyby, on Oct. 26, 2004. The middle swath is from the second radar pass of Titan, on Feb. 15, 2005 (near-equatorial). The Oct. 26 swath is about 4,500 kilometers long (2,800 miles), extending from 133 degrees west longitude and 32 degrees north latitude through 12 degrees west and 29 degrees north. The February swath is centered at approximately 30 degrees north and 70 degrees west. The spatial resolution of the radar images ranges from about 300 meters (980 feet) per pixel to about 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles) per pixel. The bottom right swath shows the strip acquired during the third radar pass, on Sept. 7, 2005, close to Titan's south pole. The swath is centered at 12 degrees west and 51 degrees south, with similar spatial resolution to the previous two. These first three radar passes revealed a variety of geologic features, including impact craters, wind-blown deposits, channels, and cryovolcanic features. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . *Credit:* NASA/JPL |
| Date |
October 25, 2005 |
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Radar Swath of Oct. 28, 2005
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| Description |
Radar Swath of Oct. 28, 2005, Titan Flyby |
| Full Description |
This map of Saturn's moon Titan shows the location mapped with the Cassini radar mapper using its synthetic aperture radar imaging mode during the Oct. 28, 2005, flyby. The radar swath is superimposed on a false-color image made from observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The location of the Huygens landing site is marked in red on the far right. The overlap between the Huygens data and the radar data will give new clues to the nature of the surface seen by the Huygens probe, which landed on Titan in January 2005. The Oct. 28 swath is about 6,150 kilometers long (3,821 miles), extending from 7 degrees north to 18 degrees south latitude and 179 degrees west to 320 degrees west longitude. The spatial resolution of the radar images ranges from about 300 meters (980 feet) per pixel to about 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles) per pixel. Cassini's four radar passes revealed a variety of geologic features, including impact craters, wind-blown deposits, channels and cryovolcanic features. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . *Credit:* NASA/JPL |
| Date |
November 16, 2005 |
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Titan Viewed by Cassini's Ra
…
| Description |
Titan Viewed by Cassini's Radar |
| Full Description |
This set of images show the areas mapped so far on Saturn's moon Titan by the Cassini Radar Mapper using its Synthetic Aperture Radar imaging mode and the location of the upcoming Oct. 28, 2005, Titan flyby. Labels represent the approximate central longitude of each globe. The radar swaths are superimposed on a false-color image made from observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The top image shows radar swaths from the first Titan flyby, on Oct. 26, 2004, (northernmost) and the second radar pass of Titan, on Feb. 15, 2005 (near-equatorial). The Oct. 26 swath is about 4,500 kilometers long (2,800 miles), extending from 133 degrees west longitude and 32 degrees north latitude through 12 degrees west and 29 degrees north. The February swath is centered at approximately 30 degrees north and 70 degrees west. The spatial resolution of the radar images ranges from about 300 meters (980 feet) per pixel to about 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles) per pixel. The middle globe shows the radar swath acquired during the third radar pass, on Sept. 7, 2005, close to Titan's south pole. The swath is centered at 12 degrees west and 51 degrees south, with similar spatial resolution to the previous two. These first three radar passes revealed a variety of geologic features, including impact craters, wind-blown deposits, channels, and cryovolcanic features. The third globe at the bottom shows the location of the radar swath for the upcoming Oct. 28 flyby. The location of the Huygens landing site is marked in red. The overlap between the Huygens data and the radar data will give new clues to the nature of the surface seen by the Huygens probe, which landed on Titan in January 2005. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . *Credit:* NASA/JPL |
| Date |
October 25, 2005 |
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Titan (T13) Viewed by Cassin
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| Description |
Titan (T13) Viewed by Cassinis Radar Flat Map (Annotated) |
| Full Description |
This map of Saturn's moon Titan shows the location of the upcoming April 30, 2006, Titan flyby and the areas mapped so far by the Cassini radar mapper using its synthetic aperture radar imaging mode. Longitudes are labeled at the bottom of the map. The radar swaths are superimposed on a false-color image made from observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The swath shown in light green represents the area to be imaged in the upcoming April 30 flyby. It will go right across an optically bright region of Titan known as Xanadu. See Titan (T13) Viewed by Cassini's Radar for another view of this pass. See Titan (T13) Flat Map for a non-annotated version of this image. The far left image shows the location of the radar swath for the Oct. 28, 2005, flyby. On the top right is the radar swath from the first Titan flyby, on Oct. 26, 2004. The second from the top image is from the second radar pass of Titan, on Feb. 15, 2005 (near-equatorial). The bottom right swath is from the Sept. 7, 2005, flyby. Cassini's radar has revealed a variety of geologic features, including impact craters, wind-blown deposits, channels and cryovolcanic features. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . Credit: NASA/JPL |
| Date |
April 27, 2006 |
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Titan (T13) Viewed by Cassin
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| Description |
Titan (T13) Viewed by Cassinis Radar |
| Full Description |
This set of images shows the areas mapped so far on Saturn's moon Titan by the Cassini radar mapper using its synthetic aperture radar imaging mode. Labels represent the approximate longitude of each globe. The radar swaths are superimposed on a false-color image made from observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The swath shown in light green represents the area to be imaged in the upcoming April 30, 2006, flyby. It will go right across an optically bright region of Titan known as Xanadu. See Flat Map or Flat Map (annotated) for different views. Cassini's radar has revealed a variety of geologic features, including impact craters, wind-blown deposits, channels and cryovolcanic features. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . Credit: NASA/JPL |
| Date |
April 27, 2006 |
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Ganesa Macula
| Description |
This radar image of Titan shows Ganesa Macula, interpreted as a cryovolcano (ice volcano), and its surroundings. |
| Full Description |
This radar image of Titan shows Ganesa Macula, interpreted as a cryovolcano (ice volcano), and its surroundings. Cryovolcanism is thought to have been an important process on Titan and may still be happening today. This mosaic was made from images obtained by the Cassini radar mapper on two flybys. The lower part of the image was from the flyby on Oct. 26, 2004, while the upper part was from the Jan. 13, 2007, flyby. Ganesa macula is the dark circular feature seen on the lower left of the mosaic. Bright rounded features, interpreted as cryovolcanic flows, are seen towards the top and the right of the mosaic. This image mosaic was taken in synthetic aperture mode. The resolution of the images is approximately 350 meters (1,150 feet). North is toward the top. The image mosaic is about 570 kilometers (354 miles) wide and 390 kilometers (240 miles) high. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm. Credit: NASA/JPL |
| Date |
February 16, 2007 |
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Titan's Land-o-Lakes
| Description |
The Cassini spacecraft's Titan Radar Mapper instrument imaged this area atop Xanadu, the bright area of Titan, on April 30, 2006. |
| Full Description |
The Cassini spacecraft's Titan Radar Mapper instrument imaged this area atop Xanadu, the bright area of Titan, on April 30, 2006. The picture is roughly 150 kilometers (93 miles) wide by 400 kilometers (249 miles) long, and shows features as small as 350 meters (1148 feet). Chains of hills or mountains are revealed by the radar beam, which is illuminating their northern sides (in this image, north is up). Interspersed between the chains of hills are darker areas where topographic features are absent or partly buried. The darkest areas could contain liquids, which tend to reflect the radar beam away from Cassini in the absence of winds, making the area appear quite dark. At Titan's icy conditions, these liquids would be methane and/or ethane. Stubby drainage features can be see faintly between the chains of hills, suggesting flow of the liquid across parts of the region. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm. *Image credit:* NASA/JPL |
| Date |
May 8, 2006 |
|
Complex Terrain
| Description |
This complex area of hilly terrain and erosional channels is located atop Xanadu, the continent-sized region on Saturn's moon Titan. |
| Full Description |
This complex area of hilly terrain and erosional channels is located atop Xanadu, the continent-sized region on Saturn's moon Titan. The image was captured by the Cassini Titan Radar Mapper on April 30, 2006. It shows details as small as 350 meters (1148 feet). Each side of the picture covers 200 kilometers (124 miles). Chains of hills or mountains are located near the bottom of the image, appearing bright on their north side (toward the top in this image). Extending further north is a drainage region where liquids flowed, eroding the presumably water-ice bedrock of Xanadu. Careful inspection reveals a series of faint drainage channels, some of which appear to empty into the dark region near the top of the image. Liquid methane might be fed from springs within Xanadu or by occasional rainfall suspected to occur on Titan. There is evidence for this rainfall in images taken by the Descent Imager/ Spectral Radiometer camera on the Huygens probe as it landed, well to the west of this area, on January 14, 2005 (see Water Ice and Methane Springs on Titan). The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm. *Image credit:* NASA/JPL |
| Date |
May 8, 2006 |
|
Radar Flyby of Titan - April
…
| Description |
Radar Flyby of Titan - April 30, 2006 |
| Full Description |
This map of Saturn's moon Titan shows the location mapped with the Cassini radar mapper using its Synthetic Aperture Radar imaging mode on April 30, 2006. The global map shows the areas mapped so far by radar. The top radar swath was mapped during a flyby on Oct. 26, 2004. The middle swath was taken during the Feb. 15, 2005, flyby. Labels represent the approximate longitude. The radar swaths are superimposed on a false-color image made from observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Cassini's radar has revealed a variety of geologic features, including impact craters, wind-blown deposits, channels and cryovolcanic features. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . Credit: NASA/JPL/HST |
| Date |
May 5, 2006 |
|
Radar Images the Margin of X
…
PIA08425
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Radar Images the Margin of Xanadu |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image of Saturn's moon Titan from the Synthetic Aperture Radar instrument on the Cassini spacecraft shows the southwestern area of a feature called Xanadu (bottom right of the image). The area is bright because it reflects the radio wavelengths used to make this radar images. The image was taken on April 30, 2006. Xanadu is one of the most prominent features on Titan and was first seen in ground-based observations. The origin of Xanadu is still unknown, but this radar image reveals details previously unseen, such as numerous curvy features that may indicate fluid flows. Linear dark streaks visible in radar-dark areas are dune fields, also seen in previous radar images (see PIA03567 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03567 ]). Near the center of the image is a prominent circular feature, named Guabonito, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) in diameter. It might be an impact crater or a cryovolcanic caldera. If this is an impact structure, the absence of an ejecta blanket suggests that the feature has been highly eroded, like some impact structures on Earth, or has been buried by the dune fields. Other radar-bright areas (top left and top right) appear to be topographically high and might act as obstacles, diverting the dunes around them. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
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Impact Craters on Xanadu
PIA08429
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Impact Craters on Xanadu |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image from the Synthetic Aperture Radar instrument on the Cassini spacecraft shows the radar-bright region Xanadu and two circular features interpreted to be degraded impact craters. In radar images, bright regions indicate a rough or scattering material, while a dark region might be smoother or more absorbing. The image was acquired during a flyby of Titan on April 30, 2006. Near the top of the image is a 70-kilometer-wide (47-mile-wide) impact structure. In contrast to a similarly sized crater called Sinlap (see PIA07368 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA07368 ]), this crater shows a prominent central peak, indicating that the interaction between the impact and the crust was different in this region. Near the bottom of the image is another circular feature with a dark central region that does not show evidence of a central peak. Numerous radar-bright channels cut across the image, indicating that liquids have flowed in this region. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Xanadu: Rivers Flowed onto a
…
PIA08428
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Xanadu: Rivers Flowed onto a Sunless Sea |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image from the Synthetic Aperture Radar instrument on the Cassini spacecraft shows the radar-bright western margin of Xanadu, one of the most prominent features on Titan (see also PIA08425 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08425 ]). In radar images, bright regions indicate a rough or scattering material, while a dark region might be smoother or more absorbing. The image was taken during a flyby of Titan on April 30, 2006. Narrow, sinuous, radar-bright channels, meandering like a maze, are seen on the right-hand-side of the image. These may be river networks that might have flowed onto the dark areas on the left of the image. Vast, dark areas covered by dunes are seen on the equatorial regions of Titan (see PIA03567 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03567 ]) and have been referred to as Titan's "sand seas." Near the middle of the image is a radar-bright area that has a boundary with the dark sand seas. Because the radar illumination is coming from the top, this indicates that the bright region, Xanadu, is topographically higher than the sand seas. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Titan's Land-o-Lakes
PIA08448
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Titan's Land-o-Lakes |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Cassini spacecraft's Titan Radar Mapper instrument imaged this area atop Xanadu, the bright area of Titan, on April 30, 2006. The picture is roughly 150 kilometers (93 miles) wide by 400 kilometers (249 miles) long, and shows features as small as 350 meters (1148 feet). Chains of hills or mountains are revealed by the radar beam, which is illuminating their northern sides (in this image, north is up). Interspersed between the chains of hills are darker areas where topographic features are absent or partly buried. The darkest areas could contain liquids, which tend to reflect the radar beam away from Cassini in the absence of winds, making the area appear quite dark. At Titan's icy conditions, these liquids would be methane and/or ethane. Stubby drainage features can be see faintly between the chains of hills, suggesting flow of the liquid across parts of the region. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Radar Images Shikoku - "Grea
…
PIA08426
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Radar Images Shikoku - "Great Britain |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image of Saturn's moon Titan from the Synthetic Aperture Radar instrument on the Cassini spacecraft shows Shikoku Facula, a region that is bright in both radar and visible wavelengths. This radar image was taken on April 30, 2006. For a visible-light image of Shikoku Facula see PIA07752 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA07752 ]. A circular feature with a radar-dark interior, probably an impact crater, is seen near the top of the image and is about 35 kilometers (22 miles) in diameter. Numerous linear dark features are seen running across the image, mostly on the right-hand side. These features were seen on other radar images (see PIA08425 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08425 ] and PIA03567 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03567 ]) and interpreted as dune fields. Bright, ridge-like features mainly on the lower half of the image may be topographically high regions. Radar-dark, thin, sinuous features, which may be channels draining from the bright to the dark regions, are seen below the circular feature. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Complex Terrain
PIA08449
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Complex Terrain |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This complex area of hilly terrain and erosional channels is located atop Xanadu, the continent-sized region on Saturn's moon Titan. The image was captured by the Cassini Titan Radar Mapper on April 30, 2006. It shows details as small as 350 meters (1148 feet). Each side of the picture covers 200 kilometers (124 miles). Chains of hills or mountains are located near the bottom of the image, appearing bright on their north side (toward the top in this image). Extending further north is a drainage region where liquids flowed, eroding the presumably water-ice bedrock of Xanadu. Careful inspection reveals a series of faint drainage channels, some of which appear to empty into the dark region near the top of the image. Liquid methane might be fed from springs within Xanadu or by occasional rainfall suspected to occur on Titan. There is evidence for this rainfall in images taken by the Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer camera on the Huygens probe as it landed, well to the west of this area, on January 14, 2005 (see PIA07238 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA07238 ]). The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Radar Flyby of Titan - April
…
PIA08430
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Radar Flyby of Titan - April 30, 2006 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This map of Saturn's moon Titan shows the location mapped with the Cassini radar mapper using its synthetic aperture radar imaging mode on April 30, 2006. The global map shows the areas mapped so far by radar. The top radar swath was mapped during a flyby on Oct. 26, 2004. The middle swath was taken during the Feb. 15, 2005, flyby. Labels represent the approximate longitude. The radar swaths are superimposed on a false-color image made from observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Cassini's radar has revealed a variety of geologic features, including impact craters, wind-blown deposits, channels and cryovolcanic features. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Dunes and more Dunes
PIA08454
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Dunes and more Dunes |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image was taken with the Cassini Synthetic Aperture Radar instrument on Oct. 28, 2005. This was the fourth flyby of Titan during which radar images were obtained, and this pass considerably expanded the coverage of Titan's surface. The swath is about 6,150 kilometers kilometers (3,821 miles) long, extending from 7 degrees north to 18 degrees south latitude and 179 west to 320 west longitude. The spatial resolution of the radar images ranges from about 300 meters (984 feet) per pixel to about 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) per pixel. It covers the area where the Huygens probe landed (eastern end of the swath), giving geologic context for the landing site. The most ubiquitous features in this swath are "cat scratches," which are interpreted as longitudinal dunes and were first seen in the February 2005 flyby, see PIA03555 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03555 ]. Also prominent are long, bright ridges, concentrated near the eastern end of the swath. These may be tectonic in origin, and are seen for the first time here. No impact craters are seen, indicating a young surface. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Liquid Lakes on Titan
PIA09102
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Liquid Lakes on Titan |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The existence of oceans or lakes of liquid methane on Saturn's moon Titan was predicted more than 20 years ago. But with a dense haze preventing a closer look it has not been possible to confirm their presence. Until the Cassini flyby of July 22, 2006, that is. Radar imaging data from the flyby, published this week in the journal Nature, provide convincing evidence for large bodies of liquid. This image, used on the journal's cover, gives a taste of what Cassini saw. Intensity in this colorized image is proportional to how much radar brightness is returned, or more specifically, the logarithm of the radar backscatter cross-section. The colors are not a representation of what the human eye would see. The lakes, darker than the surrounding terrain, are emphasized here by tinting regions of low backscatter in blue. Radar-brighter regions are shown in tan. The strip of radar imagery is foreshortened to simulate an oblique view of the highest latitude region, seen from a point to its west. This radar image was acquired by the Cassini radar instrument in synthetic aperture mode on July 22, 2006. The image is centered near 80 degrees north, 35 degrees west and is about 140 kilometers (84 miles) across. Smallest details in this image are about 500 meters (1,640 feet) across. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Titan (T16) Viewed by Cassin
…
PIA09112
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Titan (T16) Viewed by Cassini's Radar - July 22, 2006 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This radar image shows the entire scene in which hydrocarbon lakes were first discovered on Titan, near its north pole (see PIA08630 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08630 ]). This image was acquired on July 22, 2006, by Cassini's radar instrument in synthetic aperture mode. The most striking landforms are the lakes: dark patches, some circular, some irregular, many with apparently steep rims, over much of the terrain north of 70 degrees latitude. The most convincing lake forms occur at the narrowest, central part of the scene, which is at the highest latitudes. Here they have short, stubby channels leading into them, and brighter areas within that indicate either dried-up lakes or that we are seeing through a transparent liquid. The image also shows the considerable variation in the kinds of surface features found at different latitudes. Beginning at the left (20 degrees north by 142 degrees west) and heading north, a circular feature about 75 kilometers (47 miles) in diameter is seen, which could be either an impact crater or a volcanic caldera. Other less distinct circular forms are seen next, possibly including some dried lakes, followed by some ridge-like terrain with dark meandering channels or valleys. The dark lakes begin to appear next (at about 70 degrees north), with more distinct lakes in the middle of the scene, where the swath is closest to the pole and starts to descend to the south. Farther on, apparently dry lakes and canyons begin to dominate, and the region becomes more complex and etched. At the extreme right end, dunes similar to those seen previously mingle with brighter features. The swath ends at 13 degrees north by 347 degrees west. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Titan Dunes over Possible Cr
…
PIA09115
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Titan Dunes over Possible Craters (T23) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This radar image of Titan's well-known dunes is distinctive because it may show an age relationship between different classes of features on the surface of this frigid world. Taken by Cassini's radar mapper on Jan. 13, 2007, during a flyby of Titan, three kinds of terrain can be seen. Throughout the image, the fine striping has been identified as dunes, possibly made from organic material and formed by wind activity. Dunes are a common landform on Titan (see PIA09111 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09111 ] and PIA08738 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08738 ]). The bright material at the lower right of the image is interpreted as being topographically higher than the dunes that go around it, and several circular features seen at the top center may be craters that are slowly being buried by the dunes. Since the dunes seem to lie over the craters, the dune activity probably occurred later in time. This image was taken in synthetic aperture mode and has a resolution of approximately 350 meters (1,150 feet). North is toward the top left corner of the image, which is approximately 160 kilometers (100 miles) long by 150 kilometers (90 miles) wide. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Two Sides of Dunes
PIA09111
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Two Sides of Dunes |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This pair of images, taken by the Cassini spacecraft radar mapper on two different Titan passes on Dec. 11, 2006 (T21 left), and Oct. 29, 2005 (T8 right), represent two different views of a field of dunes located near 9.4 degrees south latitude by 290 degrees west longitude. The images were taken in synthetic aperture mode and have a resolution of approximately 500 meters (1,640 feet). North is toward the top of both images, and each image is approximately 400 kilometers (250 miles) long by 275 kilometers (170 miles) wide. The images are different only because the radar instrument illuminated the dunes from different directions. Acting somewhat like a flash camera, the radar sends out microwave pulses and makes an image from the pulses after they are reflected back. Imagine that both the "camera" and the "flash" come from the left in the left image and from the top in the right image. Most obvious differences are seen in the large bright feature at the center of both images. At left, its left edge is brighter, emphasizing the more steep slopes there. Farther left, the dunes are more clearly defined in the right image as their faces are caught by the illumination. However, since the dunes are visible in both images, it is likely that the materials making up the dark and light stripes are also somehow different. More detailed studies of how materials on Titan reflect and scatter at different angles are giving us clues about what different materials might be present in this cold and distant world. For more information about dunes on Titan, see PIA03567 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03567 ]. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Radar Sees Lakes in Titan's
…
PIA10018
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Radar Sees Lakes in Titan's Southern Hemisphere |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Cassini's radar instrument finds lakes in the southern hemisphere of Titan during the most recent Titan flyby. This is the first confirmation of lakes in the southern hemisphere with the radar instrument. Hundreds of lakes have already been discovered and imaged by radar at Titan's north pole. This finding is important to scientists who are trying to understand how Titan's environment works. Cassini completed its 37th flyby of Saturn's moon Titan on Oct. 2, 2007, allowing the Cassini Titan Radar Mapper to obtain this southernmost image to date. Shown here is a portion of the image swath and an inset with details of a small portion in false color. Titan's south pole is at the bottom center. The nature and similarities between the northern and southern near-polar regions supports the idea that much of Titan's poles are climate-driven. A few small dark patches - liquid-hydrocarbon-filled lakes - stand out, at about 70 degrees south, and are highlighted in the insert (lakes are colored blue). Other features in the scene include broad, steep-sided depressions adjoined to sinuous depressions, interpreted to be empty topographic basins or drained lakes fed by channels, and complex mottled terrain, akin to those at similar northern latitudes. Similarities in features between northern and southern hemispheres imply that the climatic conditions are also similar. The image shown here is a 1.4-kilometer (0.87-mile) resolution, 2,250-kilometer (1,400 mile) subsection of a 4,500-kilometer (2,800-mile) long swath, which is 150 kilometers (93 miles) wide at the narrowest point. The insert is 90 by 90 kilometers (56 by 56 miles), centered at 70.5 degrees south and 113.9 degrees west. Future southern flybys will image closer to the pole and are expected to show more lakes. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission, visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Titan's North Polar Region
PIA10008
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Titan's North Polar Region |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
"" Click on the image for movie of Titan's North Polar Region This Cassini false-color mosaic shows all synthetic-aperture radar images to date of Titan's north polar region. Approximately 60 percent of Titan's north polar region, above 60 degrees north latitude, is now mapped with radar. About 14 percent of the mapped region is covered by what is interpreted as liquid hydrocarbon lakes. Features thought to be liquid are shown in blue and black, and the areas likely to be solid surface are tinted brown. The terrain in the upper left of this mosaic is imaged at lower resolution than the remainder of the image Most of the many lakes and seas seen so far are contained in this image, including the largest known body of liquid on Titan. These seas are most likely filled with liquid ethane, methane and dissolved nitrogen. Many bays, islands and presumed tributary networks are associated with the seas. The large feature in the upper right center of this image is at least 100,000 square kilometers (40,000 square miles) in area, greater in extent than Lake Superior (82,000 square kilometers or 32,000 square miles), one of Earth's largest lakes. This Titan feature covers a greater fraction of the surface, at least 0.12 percent, than the Black Sea, Earth's largest terrestrial inland sea, at 0.085 percent. Larger seas may exist, as it is probable that some of these bodies are connected, either in areas unmapped by radar or under the surface (see PIA08365 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08365 ]). Of the 400 observed lakes and seas, 70 percent of their area is taken up by large "seas" greater than 26,000 square kilometers (10,000 square miles). The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission, visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Titan Sea and Lake Superior
PIA09184
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Titan Sea and Lake Superior |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Annotated Version This side-by-side image shows a Cassini radar image (on the left) of what is the largest body of liquid ever found on Titan's north pole, compared to Lake Superior (on the right). This close-up is part of a larger image (see PIA09182 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09182 ]) and offers strong evidence for seas on Titan. These seas are most likely liquid methane and ethane. This feature on Titan is at least 100,000 square kilometers (39,000 square miles), which is greater in extent than Lake Superior (82,000 square kilometers or 32,000 square miles), which is one of Earth's largest lakes. The feature covers a greater fraction of Titan than the largest terrestrial inland sea, the Black Sea. The Black Sea covers 0.085 percent of the surface of the Earth, this newly observed body on Titan covers at least 0.12 percent of the surface of Titan. Because of its size, scientists are calling it a sea. The image on the right is from the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) project, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Titan Sea and Lake Superior
PIA09184
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Titan Sea and Lake Superior |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Annotated Version This side-by-side image shows a Cassini radar image (on the left) of what is the largest body of liquid ever found on Titan's north pole, compared to Lake Superior (on the right). This close-up is part of a larger image (see PIA09182 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09182 ]) and offers strong evidence for seas on Titan. These seas are most likely liquid methane and ethane. This feature on Titan is at least 100,000 square kilometers (39,000 square miles), which is greater in extent than Lake Superior (82,000 square kilometers or 32,000 square miles), which is one of Earth's largest lakes. The feature covers a greater fraction of Titan than the largest terrestrial inland sea, the Black Sea. The Black Sea covers 0.085 percent of the surface of the Earth, this newly observed body on Titan covers at least 0.12 percent of the surface of Titan. Because of its size, scientists are calling it a sea. The image on the right is from the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) project, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Titan (T25) Viewed by Cassin
…
PIA09182
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Titan (T25) Viewed by Cassini's Radar - Feb. 22, 2007 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
). The last part of the image passes close to the pole (86 degrees north, 290 degrees east), before heading east and slightly south. At the end of the swath, we see the largest lake observed yet -- at least 100,000 square kilometers (39,000 square miles), which is greater in extent than one of the largest lakes on Earth, Lake Superior (82,000 square kilometers or 32,000 square miles), and covers a greater fraction of Titan than the largest terrestrial inland sea, the Black Sea. The Black Sea covers 0.085 percent of the surface of the Earth, this newly observed body on Titan covers at least 0.12 percent of the surface of Titan. Because of its size, scientists are calling this a sea. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]., This image of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, obtained by Cassini's radar instrument during a near-polar flyby on Feb. 22, 2007, features dunes and lakes, one of which is larger than any lake on Earth and could be legitimately called a sea. First discovered by Cassini's radar in July 2006 (see PIA08630 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08630 ]), Titan's lakes are thought to consist of liquid methane and ethane. The image runs from southern latitudes, starting at 32 degrees south, 55 degrees west, where we see featureless terrain with bright streaks, heading north and slightly east, through dune fields interspersed with exposed bright mounds. In places, the dunes wrap around the bright mounds, which suggests the mounds are raised (see PIA09181 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09181 ]). In one case, the dunes wrap around an unusual rose-shaped structure, approximately 70 kilometers (40 miles) across. Near the spacecraft's closest approach (33 degrees north, 28 degrees west), where the swath is at its narrowest, the terrain is dark and mottled, with occasional bright outcrops and fine dunes. As we continue to head north, we see the first signs of the action of liquids--fine channels and canyon-like structures. Later, depressions can be seen. These are similar to those seen in the lake region and are interpreted as volcanic calderas or drained lakes. As the swath continues, these become more plentiful, and some are partly filled with dark material thought to be liquid hydrocarbons, hence lakes. In places, the lakes reside in what appear to be nested, near-circular depressions, reminiscent of nested calderas. The final section of the swath, which is closest to the pole, contains by far the largest lakes observed by Cassini's radar to date. Part of the first of these was seen during a previous flyby (see PIA01942 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01942 ]), and is fed by a long river -- over 200 kilometers (120 miles) in length, and hundreds of meters to over 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) in width - running through what appears to be a flood plain. The lake's bright, jutting shoreline indicates that old, eroded landforms may have been flooded. The end of the next lake was also observed before (see PIA01943 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01943 ]), appearing to be, in both form and scale, similar to Lake Powell, a flooded drainage system in Utah and Arizona. We can now see that this lake on Titan connects via a relatively narrow channel to a much larger (at least 45,000 square kilometers or 17,000 square miles) lake, containing a large (approximately 12,000 square kilometers or 4,600 square miles) island or peninsula (see PIA09180 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09180 ] |
|
Titan Features and Interacti
…
PIA09181
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Titan Features and Interactions |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This radar image, obtained by Cassini's radar instrument during a near-polar flyby on Feb. 22, 2007, shows dunes surrounding a bright feature on Saturn's moon Titan. Dunes have been previously seen on Titan, so far concentrated near the equator. They are thought to be composed of small hydrocarbon or water ice particles-- probably about 250 microns in diameter, similar to sand grains on Earth. These are formed into dunes by the prevailing west-to-east surface winds. Because of the shape and length of the dunes, they are probably "longitudinal" (lying in the same direction as the average wind) rather than transverse dunes, which form across the wind and are more common on Earth. There are several kinds of interaction between the dunes and the brighter features in this image. At the left, the dunes seem to be covering the bright material, while at the center and right, they seem to be terminated against it. At the lower center and lower right, they flow around it (see also PIA08738 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08738 ] and PIA08454 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08454 ]). These various interactions will help us to determine the nature of both of these features. This image was taken in synthetic aperture mode at 700-meter (2,300-foot) resolution. North is toward the left. The image is centered at about 3.5 degrees south latitude and 37.3 degrees west longitude. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
A New Crater on Titan?
PIA09175
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
A New Crater on Titan? |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This radar image of Titan shows a semi-circular feature that may be part of an impact crater. Very few impact craters have been seen on Titan so far, implying that the surface is young. Each new crater identified on Titan helps scientists to constrain the age of the surface. Taken by Cassini's radar mapper on Jan. 13, 2007, during a flyby of Titan, the image swath revealed what appeared to be the northernmost half of an impact crater. This crater is roughly 180 kilometers (110 miles) wide. Only three impact craters have been identified on Titan and several others, like this one, are likely to also have been caused by impact. The bright material is interpreted to be part of the crater?s ejecta blanket, and is likely topographically higher than the surrounding plains. The inner part of the crater is dark, and may represent smooth deposits that have covered the inside of the crater. This image was taken in synthetic aperture mode and has a resolution of approximately 350 meters (1,150 feet). North is toward the top left corner of the image, which is approximately 240 kilometers (150 miles) wide by 140 kilometers (90 miles) high. The image is centered at about 26.5 degrees north and 9 degrees west. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Ganesa Macula
PIA09176
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Ganesa Macula |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This radar image of Titan shows Ganesa Macula, interpreted as a cryovolcano (ice volcano), and its surroundings. Cryovolcanism is thought to have been an important process on Titan and may still be happening today. This mosaic was made from images obtained by the Cassini radar mapper on two flybys. The lower part of the image was from the flyby on Oct. 26, 2004, while the upper part was from the Jan. 13, 2007, flyby. Ganesa macula is the dark circular feature seen on the lower left of the mosaic. Bright rounded features, interpreted as cryovolcanic flows, are seen towards the top and the right of the mosaic. This image mosaic was taken in synthetic aperture mode. The resolution of the images is approximately 350 meters (1,150 feet). North is toward the top. The image mosaic is about 570 kilometers (354 miles) wide and 390 kilometers (240 miles) high. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Titan: Larger and Larger Lak
…
PIA09180
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Titan: Larger and Larger Lakes |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This radar image, obtained by Cassini's radar instrument during a near-polar flyby on Feb. 22, 2007, shows a big island smack in the middle of one of the larger lakes imaged on Saturn's moon Titan. This image offers further evidence that the largest lakes are at the highest latitudes. The island is about 90 kilometers (62 miles) by 150 kilometers (93 miles) across, about the size of Kodiak Island in Alaska or the Big Island of Hawaii. The island may actually be a peninsula connected by a bridge to a larger stretch of land. As you go farther down the image, several very small lakes begin to appear, which may be controlled by local topography. This image was taken in synthetic aperture mode at 700 meter (2,300 feet) resolution. North is toward the left. The image is centered at about 79 north degrees north and 310 degrees west. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Titan (T17) Viewed by Cassin
…
PIA09172
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Titan (T17) Viewed by Cassini's Radar - Sept. 7, 2006 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image of Titan's surface shows the entire scene obtained by the Cassini radar instrument on Sept. 7, 2006. It includes clear examples of the longitudinal dunes, as well as one of only three positively-identified impact craters (on the far left). Titan's longitudinal dunes, first discovered during the third close flyby of Titan in February 2005 (see PIA03555 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03555 ]), make up most of Titan's equatorial dark regions. These run east-west, are around 1 to 2 kilometers (0.6 to 1.2 miles) wide, spaced 1 to 2 kilometers apart, around 100 meters (111 yards) high, and from 10 to over 100 kilometers (6.2 to 62 miles) long. They curve around the bright features in the image -- which may be high-standing topographic obstacles -- following the prevailing wind pattern. Unlike Earth's silicate dunes, these may be solid organic particles or ice coated with organic material. The left (western-most) portion of the image also shows one of only three impact craters confirmed on Titan so far. Roughly 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) in diameter, its center is at 70 degrees west, 10 degrees north. The difference in overall appearance between this crater, which has a central peak, and those without, such as Sinlap (see PIA07368 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA07368 ]), indicates variations in the conditions of impact, thickness of the crust, or properties of the meteorite that made the crater. The dark floor indicates smooth and/or highly absorbing materials. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ] |
|
Titan (T18) Viewed by Cassin
…
PIA09179
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Titan (T18) Viewed by Cassini's Radar - Sept. 23, 2006 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This radar image, obtained by Cassini's radar instrument during a near-polar flyby on Sept. 23, 2006, is the second scene that shows clear shorelines reminiscent of terrestrial lakes. With Titan's colder temperatures and hydrocarbon-rich atmosphere, these lakes most likely contain a combination of methane and ethane (both hydrocarbons), not water. This high-latitude opportunity confirmed scientists' predictions that lakes would be present here, consistent with calculations that suggested that hydrocarbons would be stable as liquids at the colder, high latitudes. It also showed unusual complex terrain, the origin of which remains a mystery. The image is illuminated by the radar from the top, and shows features as small as about 300 meters (980 feet). Starting at the left (63 degrees north latitude by 255 degrees west longitude), where the terrain appears bland and dark, the swath heads northeast into a more rugged, mottled terrain, probably containing dried lakes and canyons formed by the presence of liquid hydrocarbons. The first lake, an irregular, almost-triangular shape about 16 kilometers (10 miles) across at the widest point, can be seen near the bottom of the image, it appears to be fed by two channels from the south. Several more lakes can be seen about one-third of the way into the swath, near the closest approach to the pole, (north of 75 degrees north latitude), including Titan's "kissing lakes" (see PIA08740), each 20 to 25 kilometers (12 to 16 miles) across. Two other lakes feature narrow or angular bays, including a broad peninsula that on Earth would be evidence that the surrounding terrain is higher and confines the liquid. Continuing on, about three-quarters of the way through the swath, the terrain becomes brighter and more rugged, again indicating possible dried lakes and canyon-like structures. A long 100-kilometer (60-mile) series of grooves appears, likely carved by liquids. Next is an area of bright terrain with an unusual directional texture, indicating possible dunes, but brighter and perhaps different in nature than those seen elsewhere. Finally, towards the end of the swath, where the image quality is poorest, the terrain becomes mottled and difficult to interpret. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Cassini Radar Titan Movie
PIA07369
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Cassini Radar Titan Movie |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This animation shows the Cassini spacecraft approaching Titan. The strips of data on the globe represent areas observed with the Cassini radar instrument. The pink swatch is the area observed by the radar instrument during the Oct. 2004 flyby, while the blue area represents the coverage observed during the Feb. 15 flyby. The movie zooms into several interesting areas on Titan, including a giant crater the size of Iowa, an area with bright hills and ridges surrounded by a dark plain, and a smaller crater with a blanket of material surrounding it, possibly due to ejected material being thrown out of the crater after an impact. Click on the image above to download the QuickTime movie for the animated version. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument team is based at JPL, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Circus Maximus
PIA07365
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Circus Maximus |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
A huge annular feature with an outer diameter of approximately 440 kilometers (273 miles) appears in this image taken with Cassini's Titan radar mapper. It resembles a large crater or part of a ringed basin, either of which could be formed when a comet or asteroid tens of kilometers in size slammed into Titan. This is the first impact feature identified in radar images of Titan. 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 geologic processes may mask or remove the craters. The pattern of brightness suggests that there is topography associated with this feature, for example, in the center of the image there appear to be mounds each about 25 kilometers (15 miles) across. Since they are dark on their lower edges that face away from the radar and bright on the opposite face, they must be elevated above the surrounding terrain. This image is a part of a larger swath acquired on Feb. 15, 2005, on Cassini's second opportunity to map Titan's surface via radar. Seams between radar segments are visible as horizontal, sawtooth-shaped lines. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument team is based at JPL, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Huygens Landing Site Similar
…
PIA07366
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Huygens Landing Site Similarities |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This area imaged by the Cassini radar system during the spacecraft's third close flyby of Titan on Feb. 15, 2005, is just to the east of the Circus Maximus impact feature (see PIA07365 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA07365 ]). The white lines could be channels in which fluid flowed from the slopes of Circus Maximus toward the bright area in the upper right. Areas that appear bright at radar wavelengths may be rough or inclined toward the direction of illumination. The bright area in this image could have received outflows of debris from the channels, making the surface appear radar bright. In this sense, the area may resemble somewhat the rubble strewn plains in the region where the Huygens probe landed. The fluid carrying the debris was most likely liquid methane, given the extremely cold ambient conditions at the surface of Titan. The longest channel in the feature is approximately 200 kilometers long (124 miles). The seams running across the image are an effect of the matching of the different radar beams to assemble the full image. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument team is based at JPL, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Impact Crater with Ejecta Bl
…
PIA07368
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Impact Crater with Ejecta Blanket |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image shows a crater, approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) in diameter, on the very eastern end of the radar image strip taken by the Cassini orbiter on its third close flyby of Titan on Feb. 15. The appearance of the crater and the extremely bright (hence rough) blanket of material surrounding it is indicative of an origin by impact, in which a hypervelocity comet or asteroid, in this case, roughly 5-10 kilometers (3-6 miles) in size, slammed into the surface of Titan. The bright surrounding blanket is debris, or ejecta, thrown out of the crater. The asymmetric appearance of this ejecta blanket could be an effect of atmospheric winds associated with the impact itself. Although clearly formed by impact, the feature lacks a central peak, suggesting that it has been eroded or otherwise modified after formation. Rainfall, wind erosion, and softening of the solid material in which the crater formed are all possible processes that might have altered this impact feature. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument team is based at JPL, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Dark Terrain
PIA07367
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Dark Terrain |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Although most of the region observed by the Cassini radar instrument in the February close flyby of Titan is very different from the regions imaged in October, the area shown in this image appears quite similar. Running about 300 kilometers (186 miles) from top to bottom, the image shows a complex of bright hills and ridges surrounded by a dark plain. In radar imaging, large dark expanses are either relatively smooth, or absorb radio waves effectively, or both. Seen more faintly in the dark plains are subtle features, the origins of which are unclear. These features have some resemblance to the features seen in the October flyby that were characterized as "cryovolcanic" meaning flows of warm ice, or mixtures of liquid water and ammonia (see PIA06993 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA06993 ]). The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument team is based at JPL, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Titan (T13) Viewed by Cassin
…
PIA08100
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Titan (T13) Viewed by Cassini's Radar - Flat Map |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Titan (T13) Viewed by Cassini's Radar Flat Map (annotated) This map of Saturn's moon Titan shows the location of the upcoming April 30, 2006, Titan flyby and the areas mapped so far by the Cassini radar mapper using its synthetic aperture radar imaging mode. Longitudes are labeled at the bottom of the map. The radar swaths are superimposed on a false-color image made from observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The swath shown in light green represents the area to be imaged in the upcoming April 30 flyby. It will go right across an optically bright region of Titan known as Xanadu. See PIA08099 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08099 ] for another view of this pass. The far left image shows the location of the radar swath for the Oct. 28, 2005, flyby. On the top right is the radar swath from the first Titan flyby, on Oct. 26, 2004. The second from the top image is from the second radar pass of Titan, on Feb. 15, 2005 (near-equatorial). The bottom right swath is from the Sept. 7, 2005, flyby. Cassini's radar has revealed a variety of geologic features, including impact craters, wind-blown deposits, channels and cryovolcanic features. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Titan (T13) Viewed by Cassin
…
PIA08100
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Titan (T13) Viewed by Cassini's Radar - Flat Map |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Titan (T13) Viewed by Cassini's Radar Flat Map (annotated) This map of Saturn's moon Titan shows the location of the upcoming April 30, 2006, Titan flyby and the areas mapped so far by the Cassini radar mapper using its synthetic aperture radar imaging mode. Longitudes are labeled at the bottom of the map. The radar swaths are superimposed on a false-color image made from observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The swath shown in light green represents the area to be imaged in the upcoming April 30 flyby. It will go right across an optically bright region of Titan known as Xanadu. See PIA08099 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08099 ] for another view of this pass. The far left image shows the location of the radar swath for the Oct. 28, 2005, flyby. On the top right is the radar swath from the first Titan flyby, on Oct. 26, 2004. The second from the top image is from the second radar pass of Titan, on Feb. 15, 2005 (near-equatorial). The bottom right swath is from the Sept. 7, 2005, flyby. Cassini's radar has revealed a variety of geologic features, including impact craters, wind-blown deposits, channels and cryovolcanic features. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Titan Viewed by Cassini?s Ra
…
PIA08110
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Titan Viewed by Cassini?s Radar |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This set of images show the areas mapped so far on Saturn?s moon Titan by the Cassini Radar Mapper using its Synthetic Aperture Radar imaging mode and the location of the upcoming Oct. 28, 2005, Titan flyby. Labels represent the approximate central longitude of each globe. The radar swaths are superimposed on a false-color image made from observations by NASA?s Hubble Space Telescope. The top image shows radar swaths from the first Titan flyby, on Oct. 26, 2004, (northernmost) and the second radar pass of Titan, on Feb. 15, 2005 (near-equatorial). The Oct. 26 swath is about 4,500 kilometers long (2,800 miles), extending from 133 degrees west longitude and 32 degrees north latitude through 12 degrees west and 29 degrees north. The February swath is centered at approximately 30 degrees north and 70 degrees west. The spatial resolution of the radar images ranges from about 300 meters (980 feet) per pixel to about 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles) per pixel. The middle globe shows the radar swath acquired during the third radar pass, on Sept. 7, 2005, close to Titan's south pole. The swath is centered at 12 degrees west and 51 degrees south, with similar spatial resolution to the previous two. These first three radar passes revealed a variety of geologic features, including impact craters, wind-blown deposits, channels, and cryovolcanic features. The third globe at the bottom shows the location of the radar swath for the upcoming Oct. 28 flyby. The location of the Huygens landing site is marked in red. The overlap between the Huygens data and the radar data will give new clues to the nature of the surface seen by the Huygens probe, which landed on Titan in January 2005. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ] . |
|
Titan Viewed by Cassini?s Ra
…
PIA08111
Saturn
Radar Mapper
| Title |
Titan Viewed by Cassini?s Radar - Flat Map |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This map of Saturn?s moon Titan shows the location of the upcoming Oct. 28, 2005, Titan flyby and the areas mapped so far by the Cassini Radar Mapper using its Synthetic Aperture Radar imaging mode. Longitudes are labeled at the bottom of the map. The radar swaths are superimposed on a false-color image made from observations by NASA?s Hubble Space Telescope. The far left image shows the location of the radar swath for the upcoming Oct. 28 flyby. The location of the Huygens landing site is marked in red. The overlap between the Huygens data and the radar data will give new clues to the nature of the surface seen by the Huygens probe, which landed on Titan in January 2005. On the top right is the radar swath from the first Titan flyby, on Oct. 26, 2004. The middle swath is from the second radar pass of Titan, on Feb. 15, 2005 (near-equatorial). The Oct. 26 swath is about 4,500 kilometers long (2,800 miles), extending from 133 degrees west longitude and 32 degrees north latitude through 12 degrees west and 29 degrees north. The February swath is centered at approximately 30 degrees north and 70 degrees west. The spatial resolution of the radar images ranges from about 300 meters (980 feet) per pixel to about 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles) per pixel. The bottom right swath shows the strip acquired during the third radar pass, on Sept. 7, 2005, close to Titan's south pole. The swath is centered at 12 degrees west and 51 degrees south, with similar spatial resolution to the previous two. These first three radar passes revealed a variety of geologic features, including impact craters, wind-blown deposits, channels, and cryovolcanic features. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ] . |
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Titan (T13) Viewed by Cassin
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PIA08099
Saturn
Radar Mapper
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Titan (T13) Viewed by Cassini's Radar |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This set of images shows the areas mapped so far on Saturn's moon Titan by the Cassini radar mapper using its synthetic aperture radar imaging mode. Labels represent the approximate longitude of each globe. The radar swaths are superimposed on a false-color image made from observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The swath shown in light green represents the area to be imaged in the upcoming April 30, 2006, flyby. It will go right across an optically bright region of Titan known as Xanadu. See PIA08100 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08100 ] for a flat map view. Cassini's radar has revealed a variety of geologic features, including impact craters, wind-blown deposits, channels and cryovolcanic features. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
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