Methane Clouds Observed Near Titan's Equator May Explain Presence of Riverbeds on the Surface
Source: National Science Foundation Update (NSF) Excerpt: On Titan, Saturn's largest moon, methane clouds drift through a dense, nitrogen-rich atmosphere, clustering mainly in the polar regions. Methane lakes dot Titan's surface, also at high latitudes. …in January 2005, the Huygens probe … gave planetary scientists their first close-up view ... small channels and river beds at low latitudes, in regions that scientists had assumed to be devoid of flowing liquids that could carve such features. Now, astronomers working at Earth-based telescopes have for the first time observed, near Titan's equator, large and persistent clouds that might be capable of raining liquid methane onto the surface. www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp