All articles tagged with #cassini
A new study combining Cassini observations, arXiv simulations and planetary modeling suggests Titan formed after an ancient collision with a lost moon (proto-Hyperion, possibly Chrysalis) about 0.5 billion years ago. The merger could explain Titan’s drifting orbit, Saturn’s axial tilt, and the creation of Hyperion and Saturn’s rings, with Dragonfly’s upcoming Titan exploration offering a potential test of the theory.
Scientists combining Titan formation ideas, Cassini data, and simulations propose that Titan collided with a lost proto-moon about 500 million years ago; the wreckage may have become Hyperion and also helped forge Saturn’s rings, while Titan’s altered mass could have nudged Saturn’s tilt and resonance with Neptune. Titan’s orbit is expanding, and NASA’s Dragonfly mission to Titan (launch 2028, arrival 2034) could test this scenario.
Using Cassini data, researchers show Saturn's moon Enceladus drives Alfven waves that span over 500,000 km, forming a lattice-like network connected to Saturn's ionosphere and the Enceladus plasma torus. Detected in 36 events, the waves reveal Enceladus as a planet-scale energy generator with implications for icy moons around other planets and future missions.
New analysis of NASA's Cassini data reveals that Kraken Mare, Titan's largest sea, may reach depths of up to 300 meters, making it the deepest known sea on Titan and a significant surface reservoir, which raises new questions about the moon's geophysical processes and potential habitability.
Recent analysis of NASA's Cassini data suggests that Saturn's moon Titan does not have a global subsurface ocean but instead has a slushy, semi-solid interior with potential pockets of liquid water near its core, altering previous beliefs about its habitability.
New analysis of data from NASA's Cassini mission suggests that Titan, Saturn's largest moon, likely does not have a deep liquid water ocean beneath its surface as previously thought. Instead, it probably contains a thick, slushy layer of ice and water, which could still support some forms of life in isolated pockets of liquid water, potentially improving the prospects for habitability. These findings will influence future missions like NASA's Dragonfly and our understanding of icy worlds.
Reanalysis of NASA's Cassini data suggests Saturn's moon Titan may not have a global water ocean but instead has a layered interior of ice and slush with pockets of liquid water, which could still support life. The study highlights the importance of archival data and advanced analysis techniques, with future missions like NASA's Dragonfly expected to provide more insights.
A new analysis of data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft suggests that Saturn's moon Titan does not have a subsurface ocean of liquid water, as previously thought, but instead has a thick ice crust with a layer of slush and meltwater pockets, which could significantly alter the search for life on Titan.
Research suggests Saturn's moon Mimas may have a young, buried subsurface ocean, formed by gravitational interactions with Saturn that generate heat, with evidence from crust thickness and crater analysis supporting this possibility. Future missions could potentially detect this ocean by measuring heat flow beneath the ice shell.
Scientists using Cassini data discovered that Titan's atmosphere behaves like a gyroscope, oscillating and changing tilt with the seasons, which has significant implications for future missions like NASA's Dragonfly and broadens understanding of planetary atmospheric physics.
Recent analysis confirms the presence of complex prebiotic molecules in the ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus, increasing its potential as a habitable environment and prompting plans for a dedicated mission to explore its ocean directly.
The study reanalyzes Cassini's high-speed fly-by data of Enceladus, revealing the presence of diverse organic compounds, including aromatics, esters, ethers, and N- and O-bearing species, in freshly ejected ice grains. These findings suggest complex organic chemistry within Enceladus's subsurface ocean, likely driven by hydrothermal processes, and provide insights into the moon's potential habitability.
Scientists analyzing data from the Cassini spacecraft have discovered complex organic molecules in the fresh ice grains ejected from Saturn's moon Enceladus, indicating active chemical reactions in its subsurface ocean that could support life, prompting plans for a dedicated ESA mission to explore the moon further.
Researchers analyzing Cassini data have discovered that Titan's dense atmosphere behaves like a gyroscope, tilting and shifting seasonally in a way that is not aligned with its surface, posing new questions for planetary science and impacting future missions like NASA's Dragonfly rotorcraft.
NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured stunning images of Saturn and its rings before deliberately plunging into the planet's atmosphere as part of its 'Grand Finale' mission, providing valuable scientific insights and a final breathtaking view of Saturn.