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08-11-2009, 07:53 AM
Scientists Say Saturn Moon Like 'Early Earth'
Scientists believe they have located Earth's nearest likeness - circling Saturn as one of its moons.
http://news.sky.com/sky-news/content/StaticFile/jpg/2009/Aug/Week2/15358066.jpg
Artist's concept of a methane rainstorm on Titan. (Pic: NASA/JPL)
Although it is millions of miles away from us, planet-sized Titan also has choking smog and flash floods - just like Earth.
"It really is surprising how closely Titan's surface resembles Earth's," said planetary geologist Rosaly Lopes, from Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (http://www.nasa.gov/centers/jpl/home/index.html) (JPL), in California.
"In fact, Titan looks more like the Earth than any other body in the solar system, despite the huge differences in temperature and other environmental conditions."
Dr Lopes announced the news at a Titan presentation at the the International Astronomical Union (http://www.iau.org/) Assembly in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (http://indepth.news.sky.com/InDepth/topic/Brazil).
Scientists activated radar beams on Nasa's Cassini (http://indepth.news.sky.com/InDepth/topic/Cassini) probe to see through the smoggy atmosphere and they have now mapped a third of Titan's surface.
Titan is one of the biggest moons in the solar system, larger than the planet Mercury and approaching Mars in size.
But despite an atmosphere hostile to humans, it is scattered with lakes, dunes, mountain ridges and possibly volcanoes.
Cassini has been probing Saturn and its moons for five years, as well as communicating with the European Space Agency (http://www.esa.int/)'s Huygens (http://indepth.news.sky.com/InDepth/topic/Huygens) probe, which descended on Titan in 2005.
Read More @ SkyNews (http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Nasa-Cassini-Probe-On-Titan-Saturns-Moon-Earth-Like-Say-JPL-Scientists-At-IAU-Assembly-In-Brazil/Article/200908215358054?lpos=World_News_First_Home_Page_Fe ature_Teaser_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15358054_Nasa_Cassini_Probe_On_Titan%3 A_Saturns_Moon_Earth_Like_Say_JPL_Scientists_At_IA U_Assembly_In_Brazil)
Scientists believe they have located Earth's nearest likeness - circling Saturn as one of its moons.
http://news.sky.com/sky-news/content/StaticFile/jpg/2009/Aug/Week2/15358066.jpg
Artist's concept of a methane rainstorm on Titan. (Pic: NASA/JPL)
Although it is millions of miles away from us, planet-sized Titan also has choking smog and flash floods - just like Earth.
"It really is surprising how closely Titan's surface resembles Earth's," said planetary geologist Rosaly Lopes, from Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (http://www.nasa.gov/centers/jpl/home/index.html) (JPL), in California.
"In fact, Titan looks more like the Earth than any other body in the solar system, despite the huge differences in temperature and other environmental conditions."
Dr Lopes announced the news at a Titan presentation at the the International Astronomical Union (http://www.iau.org/) Assembly in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (http://indepth.news.sky.com/InDepth/topic/Brazil).
Scientists activated radar beams on Nasa's Cassini (http://indepth.news.sky.com/InDepth/topic/Cassini) probe to see through the smoggy atmosphere and they have now mapped a third of Titan's surface.
Titan is one of the biggest moons in the solar system, larger than the planet Mercury and approaching Mars in size.
But despite an atmosphere hostile to humans, it is scattered with lakes, dunes, mountain ridges and possibly volcanoes.
Cassini has been probing Saturn and its moons for five years, as well as communicating with the European Space Agency (http://www.esa.int/)'s Huygens (http://indepth.news.sky.com/InDepth/topic/Huygens) probe, which descended on Titan in 2005.
Read More @ SkyNews (http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Nasa-Cassini-Probe-On-Titan-Saturns-Moon-Earth-Like-Say-JPL-Scientists-At-IAU-Assembly-In-Brazil/Article/200908215358054?lpos=World_News_First_Home_Page_Fe ature_Teaser_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15358054_Nasa_Cassini_Probe_On_Titan%3 A_Saturns_Moon_Earth_Like_Say_JPL_Scientists_At_IA U_Assembly_In_Brazil)