Saturn and it’s pretty rings tend to steal all the hype surrounding the planet, but scientists have recently shed some interesting light on the moon Titan. Reports of massive mountain peaks reaching higher than 10,000 feet were discovered. The finding is just a fraction of the evidence found in one of the solar systems more fascinating lunar environments.
MINI MOUNT EVEREST FOUND ON SATURN’S MOON
Looking at observations from NASA’s own Cassini spacecraft, scientists have discovered a large peak on the surface of Saturn’s ‘Titan’. The highest peak was found to be 10,948 feet, hardly anything close to Mount Everest but it could surely put up a fight with some of Earth’s many mountains. Looking at scale, though, finding a peak that high on Titan is fairly impressive. Considering the moon is only a mere fraction of the size of Earth, scientists have taken some interest into how it formed.
WHY TITAN IS SO FASCINATING
Titan is an interesting satellite for a few reasons. For one, it is Saturn’s largest moon and the second largest in the whole solar System. Jupiter Ganymede takes the top spot in that category. Compared to Earth’s lunar pal, Titan is 50 percent larger and is even larger in volume than Mercury, the smallest planet in the solar system. One quirky fact regarding the satellite is its thick atmosphere, but that is hardly what is really grabbing the attention of scientist.
IS THERE LIFE INSIDE THIS LUNAR MOUNTAIN
What really seems to peak NASA’s interest on Saturn’s largest moon is the presence of stable bodies of surface liquid. This is the only other place besides Earth where this has shown up. Cassini discovered this way back in 2004 once it finally penetrated the moon’s thick atmosphere. The possibility of life found on the surface is certainly possible and something NASA hopes to delve deeper into for the future. Scientist believe the value in Saturn’s satellites will be highly instrumental in understanding the evolution of not just the environment but of the entire solar system. Expect to see NASA’s Cassini reporting many more fascinating findings in the near future.
