Last July , microwave radar images fromNASA ’s Cassini spacecraftcaptured a secret feature in a magnanimous hydrocarbon sea on Saturn ’s synodic month Titan . uranologist on the radar team has suggested a encompassing range of melodic theme – Earth’s surface wave , rising bubbles , floating solidness , solids suspended just below the surface , or perhaps something more exotic – though it ’s still anyone ’s dead reckoning .
" Science loves a mystery story , and with this enigmatic feature , we have a electrifying example of on-going variety on Titan , " saysStephen rampart from the Jet Propulsion Laboratoryin anews release . " We ’re hopeful that we ’ll be able-bodied to continue determine the changes open and profit perceptivity about what ’s run on in that alien sea . "
The feature presently cover an surface area of about 160 satisfying kilometers , and it ’s been observed at least double by Cassini during Titan flybys in 2013 and again in August this twelvemonth . Previous watching showed no sign of promising feature article like this in that part of Ligeia Mare , one of Titan ’s largest sea .
These three images , create from Cassini Synthetic Aperture Radar data point , show the appearance and evolution of the feature of speech , which look bright here against the disconsolate background knowledge of Ligeia Mare . Most of the white-hot areas stand for land surface that ’s above or just below the surface of the sea , which is thought to be mostly write of methane and ethane .
After it was first spotted early last July ( pictured up top ) , the feature appeared to vanish over the next several months . Astronomers did n’t see it again using abject - resolution radio detection and ranging and Cassini ’s infrared imager later on that month and in September and October of last twelvemonth . But just last calendar month , it was seeable again – and its appearance had changed . Not only was the flesh different , but it also seemed to have doubled from 75 straight kilometre .
The researchers surmise that its appearance could be related to the changing seasons on Titan : Summer is draw off near in the moonlight ’s northern hemisphere . what is more , they ’re confident that the feature film is n’t a resolution of an artifact or flaw in their data , or even plainly evaporation in the ocean . Monitoring change like these is a major destination for Cassini ’s current elongated missionary work .
image : NASA / JPL - Caltech / ASI / Cornell
