February 15, 2022
On this date in 2005, the spacecraft Cassini successfully completed a flyby of Saturn’s moon Titan. Prior to the Cassini-Huygens mission, little was known about Titan. Thanks to the photos and data collected during these flybys and subsequent landing, were able to confirm that Titan has an extremely dense atmosphere which allows it to support liquid methane and ethane on its surface. This liquid creates surface features such as channels and lakes, much the same way water does on Earth.
To learn more about Titan and the Cassini-Huygens mission, visit: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/cassini/science/titan/
Ligeia Mare, shown here in a false-color image from NASA’s Cassini mission, is the second largest known body of liquid on Saturn’s moon Titan. This hydrocarbon sea evolves over time, as shown through the dated inset images on the left. Image credit: NASA