Scientists have unveiled the world's first geological map of Saturn's moon Titan, which includes vast plains, dunes of frozen organic matter, and lakes of liquid methane, highlighting a strange world that is a powerful candidate for extraterrestrial life.
The map was drawn from radar and infrared data and other data collected by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which studied Saturn and its moons between 2004 and 2017. Titan, with a diameter of 5,150 kilometers, is the second largest moon in the solar system. Organic materials, carbon compounds necessary for the life of microorganisms, play an important role on Titan. "Organic matter is very important because there may be life on Titan, which many of us believe probably evolved into an ocean of liquid water beneath the ice crust," said Rosalie Lopez, a planetary geologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. For Titan. ”
"We believe that organic matter can penetrate into the ocean waters below, which can provide the necessary elements for life if they evolve there," said Lopez, who led the research published in the journal Nature Astronomy. Clouds on Titan emit hydrocarbons, such as methane and ethane, in liquid form because of the moon's cold climate. The plains, which cover 65% of Titan's surface, and the dunes that make up 17% of its surface, consist of frozen nuggets of methane and other hydrocarbons flat on the mid- and tropical latitudes respectively. The mapping comes seven years before the US space agency is due to send its Dragonfly mission, a multi-rotor spacecraft to study Titan's chemistry and sustain life. Dragonfly is set to launch in 2034.
• 5,150 kilometers, the diameter of Titan, which is the second largest moon in the solar system.