National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) NASA’s Cassini-Huygens spacecraft may have dramatically ended its 20-year mission exploring the Saturn region with its plunge into the gas giant seven years ago, but it continues to produce scientific results.
Using the collected radar data Cassini, Astronomers at Cornell University Saturn The largest satellite of Giant Hydrocarbons are a type of organic chemical made up of carbon and hydrogen. For example, this class includes chemicals such as methane and ethane.
The team was able to analyze the composition and “roughness” of Titan’s ocean, located near the Earth’s north pole. The researchers found a calm methane ocean with gentle currents, something that previous studies of Titan’s oceans have not been able to reveal, but also lays the groundwork for future studies of the solar system. Ocean Satellite .
The Cassini data used to make these new discoveries was collected using “ballistic radar,” which means the spacecraft beams radio waves at Titan, which are then reflected back toward Earth.
Related: Saturn’s ocean moon Titan may not be able to support life after all
This effect is the polarization of surface reflections, Giant provided footage from two different perspectives; standard radar, which observes signals reflected by Cassini, only provides a single perspective.
“The main difference is that the bistatic information is a more complete data set and is sensitive to both the composition of the reflective surface and its roughness,” said team member Valerio Poggiali, a researcher at the Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science (CCAPS). He said in a statement.
A diagram showing the interior of Saturn’s moons, including their deep oceans. (Image source: AD Fortes/UCL/STFC)
Cassini launched on October 15, 1997, and spent the next seven years traveling to the Saturn system. NASA slammed Cassini into Saturn in 2017, ultimately preventing it from colliding with one of the gas giants. There are 146 known moons.
The ballistic radar data used by Poggiali and colleagues Cassini’s four flybys It was also observed on May 17, June 18, and October 24, 2014, and November 14, 2016. In each of these ballistic radar datasets, surface reflectivity was observed when Cassini was closest to Titan and as it was moving away from it.
The researchers examined observations from three of Titan’s polar oceans. Kraken Mare , Ligeia Mare and Punga Mare The researchers found that the composition of the hydrocarbon ocean’s surface layer varied by location and latitude, with surface material in the southernmost part of Kraken Mare in particular reflecting radar signals most efficiently.
Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, captured by the Cassini spacecraft. (Image provided by: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)
All three of Titan’s maria observed by Cassini were calm, with waves about 3.3 millimeters high. Hydrocarbon Ocean By the time it reached shore, the wave height had risen to just 5.2 millimeters, indicating a weak current.
“There is also evidence that the rivers that feed the oceans are pure methane until they flow into the open ocean, which is liquid and rich in ethane,” Poggiali added, “just as freshwater rivers on Earth flow into the salty oceans and mix with them.”
The research team said the discovery Weather model for Saturn’s moons predicts that rain on Titan is mostly methane, with small amounts of ethane and other hydrocarbons.
Poggiali added that the team is continuing to work with data collected by Cassini during its 13 years of studying Titan. “There is still a lot of data waiting to be fully analyzed in a way that will lead to further discoveries,” he concluded. “This is just the first step.”
The team’s research was published in the journal Neurology on Tuesday (July 16). Nature Communications.
