James Webb Peers Through the Haze of Saturn’s moon Titan

New images have been released of Saturn’s moon Titan as seen by JWST last month , the image on the left shows Titan's lower atmosphere while the far more interesting image on the right shows Titan's atmosphere , surface features including the Belet Sand Sea and clouds.

Titan is the only moon in the Solar System with a dense atmosphere, and it is also the only planetary body other than Earth that currently has rivers, lakes, and seas. Unlike Earth, however, the liquid on Titan’s surface is composed of hydrocarbons including methane and ethane, not water. Its atmosphere is filled with thick haze that obscures visible light reflecting off the surface.

Scientists have waited for years to use Webb’s infrared vision to study Titan’s atmosphere, including its fascinating weather patterns and gaseous composition, and also see through the haze to study albedo features (bright and dark patches) on the surface. Further Titan data are expected from NIRCam and NIRSpec as well as the first data from Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) in May or June of 2023. The MIRI data will reveal an even greater part of Titan’s spectrum, including some wavelengths that have never before been seen.
www.esa.int...

Despite atmospheric and compositional differences on Titan and Earth, the similarity in the shape and spacing of linear dunes of the Belet Sand Sea of Titan and the Namib Sand Sea of Earth suggests that comparisons will yield a better understanding of the dictating factors of duneforming processes.
www.semanticscholar.org...

sweet!
what's with the green color?
Is that a filter or forest?

a reply to: Mandroid7

I think it's probably the atmosphere but wouldn't rule out a forest.

a reply to: Mandroid7
Methane shows green in the light spectrum and is denser than the other gasses so it would show on the poles as we look directly at it.

Would it be cool though if there is plant life that eats differently then our plant life.

a reply to: gortex

Why is it blurry / out of focus?

a reply to: KKLOCO

It's an Infrared image not optical , Titan is covered in a thick haze so the features we are seeing we are seeing through that haze.

a reply to: gortex
Do they really expect us to believe with the amazing images of far off galaxies this thing has produced that this grainy sh+t photo of one of the inhabited places of our solar system is the best it can produce!? Miss me with this next level BS. They got humans and God knows what else living there and they know it!

originally posted by: TheGhoul
a reply to: Mandroid7
Methane shows green in the light spectrum and is denser than the other gasses so it would show on the poles as we look directly at it.

Would it be cool though if there is plant life that eats differently then our plant life.

Dang, I was already packing my luggage.

a reply to: KKLOCO

We dont quite have the tech to get any better.

a reply to: gortex

We have landed there.

Titan from various altitudes -

Titan's surface -

That surface is methane and the rocks are methane ice. No forests there as it's extremely cold and the bodies of liquids and rivers are methane.

a reply to: HUBE007

Really?!!!

a reply to: Blaine91555


It's the perfect inhospitable place for a family vacation then! Just don't light a match, smoke, and bring tons of O2 there with you or💥❤️‍🔥!

a reply to: Blaine91555

We have landed there.

I know , it was part of the Cassini mission.
I also know there are no forests there , hence the smiley.

a reply to: HUBE007

Word around the campfire is we have already checked out Alpha Centari and only found primordial goo.



PS - This is science that they cannot deny. So, yeah, enjoy your fuzzy photos and wonder!!

a reply to: gortex Thanks again gortex!!!


Totally awesome to see our growing database of Titan surface images evolve! can"t wait until we can get out there and see it up close again, Cassini was such a blast!! And Titan's atmosphere is so thick, its simply amazing the JWebb could pull off that image, (and MIRI is upcoming....) great time to be a Titan fan.

a reply to: gortex

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

Word is that the Alpha Centaurians have checked out Planet Earth. They call us "primordial goo".

So they tell me.

a reply to: KKLOCO

** Filtered by NASA

Amazing images. Cassini has also produced near-infrared images of Titan, where you can see a bit of the surface through the clouds. Here's my work on such an image: solarsystem.nasa.gov...

I wish WEBB could take a look at Venus like that, but that is of course entirely out of the question.