Latest news with #ConorNixon
Gizmodo
18-05-2025
- Science
- Gizmodo
Scientists Track Methane Clouds Wafting Over Titan's Lakes for the First Time
It's the first evidence of cloud convection in the northern hemisphere of Saturn's enigmatic moon. Saturn's most metal moon just got more intriguing. On Titan, clouds of methane unleash a cold, oily rain—very different from the water-based downpours we see on Earth. For the first time, scientists have collected evidence of cloud convection in Titan's northern hemisphere, observing the moon's methane clouds shifting over time above its eerie lakes. By combining data from the Webb space telescope and the Keck Observatory in Hawaii, a group of scientists observed Titan's clouds rising to higher altitudes over time. This new discovery marks the first time cloud convection is seen taking place in the moon's northern hemisphere, where most of Titan's lakes and seas of liquid methane are located. The findings are detailed in a study published this week in the journal Nature. 'This enables us to better understand Titan's climate cycle, how the methane clouds may generate rain and replenish methane evaporated from the lakes,' Conor Nixon, research scientist with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and lead author of the study, said in a statement. Titan is the only moon in the solar system to host a substantial atmosphere, but Saturn's largest moon is shrouded with a layer of yellowish smog. To probe different depths in Titan's atmosphere, the scientists used various infrared filters on Webb and Keck to estimate the altitudes of the clouds. The team behind the study observed Titan in November 2022 and July 2023, capturing clouds in the moon's mid and high northern latitudes. Using space and ground-based observations, the scientists observed the clouds as they appeared to move to higher altitudes over a period of days. They were, however, not able to directly see any precipitation occurring. Titan is the only other place in the solar system known to have an Earth-like cycle of liquids, with rain pouring from clouds and flowing across its surface, filling lakes and seas, and evaporating back into the sky, according to NASA. But instead of water, Titan has liquid methane and ethane. The strange moon is of high interest to astronomers as it holds complex organic chemistry despite its frigid temperatures and gaseous bodies of water. Organic molecules are among the building blocks of life on Earth, and studying Titan helps scientists better understand how different lifeforms could evolve under drastically different planetary circumstances. The recent findings also help scientists understand how different worlds evolve over time. 'On Titan, methane is a consumable,' Nixon said. 'It's possible that it is being constantly resupplied and fizzing out of the crust and interior over billions of years. If not, eventually it will all be gone and Titan will become a mostly airless world of dust and dunes.'
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Webb discovers a distant moon has an intriguing similarity to Earth
Scientists have had a hunch that a distant moon experiences weather like Earth's, forming clouds that douse its craggy surface with rain. If that's the case, it would make Titan the only other world in the solar system that has that in common with our home planet. Now researchers have one more clue that Titan, the largest of 274 known Saturn moons, has a climate cycle similar to what occurs on Earth. The catch: Instead of evaporating and filling Titan's lakes and oceans with water, it's likely showering the moon with cold, oily methane. Using two powerful telescopes — the James Webb Space Telescope and the Keck II telescope in Hawaii — astronomers watched clouds emerge and then climb higher in the sky over Titan, which is about 880 million miles away in space. For the first time, they saw clouds hovering in the north, where most of the moon's lakes and seas exist, at the tail end of its summer. The discovery of cloud convection bolsters the theory that these bodies of surface liquid, comparable in size to the Great Lakes in the United States, are getting replenished through rain, perhaps like how summer storms work on Earth. The team's research appears in the journal Nature Astronomy. "We were able to see methane clouds evolving and changing close to Titan's north pole over multiple days, in the region where large seas and lakes of methane were discovered by the Cassini spacecraft," said Conor Nixon, a NASA research scientist and the paper's lead author, in a statement. SEE ALSO: NASA rover captures an aurora from Mars surface for the first time Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is brutally cold and shrouded in a jaundiced smog. Credit: NASA / ESA / IPGP / Labex UnivEarthS / University Paris Diderot illustration Titan is a strange world, at -300 degrees Fahrenheit, and shrouded in a jaundiced smog. Similar to Earth, the atmosphere is mostly nitrogen. Scientists are interested in Titan because, despite its brutally cold temperatures, it appears to have the organic ingredients for life — the kinds that humans know about, at least. Whether the moon harbors any microbial aliens has become a top exploration priority, helping to spur NASA's $3.35 billion Dragonfly. The mission just passed its critical design review, a milestone that means engineers can begin constructing the spacecraft. The helicopter-like robot is expected to visit the moon in the 2030s. The new Webb observations show that during summer in Titan's northern hemisphere, clouds can rise higher and may be fueled by heat from the sun — sort of like Earth storms. Scientists had seen this kind of cloud activity before, but never in the north. That's key because it suggests the northern methane and ethane seas are part of a process that maintains Titan's atmosphere. On Earth, those chemicals are gases, but on freezing Titan, they are liquid like gasoline on Earth. The Dragonfly mission has advanced to the stage when engineers can begin constructing the helicopter-like spacecraft. Credit: NASA / Johns Hopkins APL / Steve Gribben illustration By using different kinds of light filters, the two telescopes helped astronomers determine how high the clouds were drifting. On Earth, the lowest part of the sky — the troposphere — goes up about 7.5 miles, but that same layer on Titan soars up to 28 miles, thanks to the moon's lower gravity. Webb found something else new: a tiny, fast-moving molecule, called the methyl radical, in Titan's atmosphere. This molecule is ephemeral, so its detection indicates that chemical reactions are ongoing in the moon's skies. Similar molecules are associated with the chemical origins of life on Earth. "It's possible that (methane) is being constantly resupplied and fizzing out of the crust and interior over billions of years," Nixon said. "If not, eventually it will all be gone, and Titan will become a mostly airless world of dust and dunes." The two telescopes, Webb and Keck II, helped astronomers determine how high the clouds were drifting. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI / Keck Observatory Though the discovered rising clouds suggest it could rain on Titan, no precipitation was actually observed. The team is planning follow-up studies to see how the weather patterns change, especially in the period after the equinox this month. Over time, the methane in Titan's air could vanish if it isn't being replaced somehow from within the moon. If that happens, Titan could lose its atmosphere and become something more akin to Mars. "For the first time we can see the chemical cake while it's rising in the oven," said coauthor Stefanie Milam in a statement, "instead of just the starting ingredients of flour and sugar, and then the final, iced cake."
Forbes
17-05-2025
- Science
- Forbes
NASA's Webb Spots Clouds On Titan, Saturn's ‘Earth-Like' Moon
Titan is one of the largest of Saturn's moons and has surface liquid, a dense atmosphere — and ... More clouds. (Artist's impression) According to new data from telescopes, there are clouds in the northern hemisphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon. It's more evidence that Titan, like Earth, has weather — specifically clouds and rainfall — though it's based not on a cycle of liquid water but on liquid hydrocarbons methane and ethane. Titan is also the only solar system moon with a substantial atmosphere as well as rain, rivers, lakes and seas, according to NASA. Welcome to the wild world of Titan, the most Earth-like place in the solar system. Weather on Titan has been probed before by NASA's Cassini spacecraft and its Huygens lander, as well as with ground-based telescopes like the Keck Observatory in Hawaii. A new research project combining data from the Keck II telescope with new observations using different infrared filters on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to probe to varying depths in Titan's atmosphere has unearthed evidence of cloud convection in the moon's northern hemisphere for the first time. That's precisely where most of Titan's lakes and seas are located — probably replenished by methane and ethane rain. 'We were able to see methane clouds evolving and changing close to Titan's north pole over multiple days, in the region where large seas and lakes of methane were discovered by the Cassini spacecraft,' said Conor Nixon of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, lead author of a paper published in Nature Astronomy. 'This enables us to understand better Titan's climate cycle, how the methane clouds may generate rain and replenish methane evaporated from the lakes.' These images of Titan were taken by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope on July 11, 2023 (top row) and ... More the ground-based W.M. Keck Observatories on July 14, 2023 (bottom row). They show methane clouds (denoted by the white arrows) appearing at different altitudes in Titan's northern hemisphere. Titan has a 98% nitrogen and 2% methane atmosphere. It has liquid methane rain, lakes, oceans, and other stuff. Those bodies of liquid carve out shorelines, valleys, mountain ridges, icy boulders, mesas and dunes. Satellites have seen all of those physical features before — and now they've seen clouds, evidence for the methane cycle. 'On Titan, methane is a consumable," said Nixon. 'It's possible that it is being constantly resupplied and fizzing out of the crust and interior over billions of years. If not, eventually, it will all be gone, and Titan will become a mostly airless world of dust and dunes." It's extremely cold on Titan — about -290 degrees Fahrenheit (-180 degrees Celsius). Titan's gravity is 14% of the Earth's, meaning it would be possible for astronauts to fly. On its surface, Titan also has complex organic compounds formed from methane and nitrogen in the moon's atmosphere. These compounds could contain the prebiotic chemistry of the building blocks of life. Webb also found a key carbon-containing molecule in Titan's complex atmosphere. Artist's concept of Dragonfly soaring over the dunes of Saturn's moon Titan. NASA's flagship Cassini probe flew 600 miles above Titan during its 2004-2017 mission, sending back data on its incredible landscape. It also deposited a probe called Huygens, which descended to Titan's surface on Jan. 14, 2005. It shot a historic time-lapse video during its 2 hours 27 minutes parachute journey to the surface. Huygens instantly became, and remains the farthest spacecraft from Earth on the surface of another world. NASA hasn't been back to Titan since, but it now has exciting plans. Its Dragonfly mission will launch in July 2028 atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket and reach the distant moon in 2034. The mission will have a drone-like rotorcraft tour Titan to analyze what's on its surface. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Saturn's Moon Titan Is Surprisingly Earth-Like, the Only Other Place with Weather Like Ours
We tend to think of the weather as mundane, the sort of boring things you talk about when you have nothing else to say, but in the scope of the solar system, it's one of the most interesting things going on. There are eight known planets, five known dwarf planets, and hundreds of known moons in our solar system, but only two of them have weather: Earth and Titan. Saturn's moon Titan is almost featureless when seen in visible light, thanks to a thick blanket of atmospheric fog. But when astronomers look at it in infrared light, they suddenly see lakes and rivers, dunes and valleys, and a complex liquid cycle. Recently, astronomers peered at Titan using the JWST and Keck observatories, revealing new insight into Titan's bizarrely Earth-like weather. While the crew of The Ark (streaming now on Peacock) made their way across light-years of space to visit Proxima centauri b, they might have had a better shot setting up closer to home. Titan isn't exactly habitable by human standards (it's way too cold and we couldn't breathe the air) but it's remarkably similar in many ways. It has an atmosphere made of mostly nitrogen, just like on Earth, with an atmospheric pressure about 1.5 times that of Earth. Inside that atmosphere you'll find running rivers, lakes, seas, and weather with clouds and rain. The surface temperatures on Titan are so cold (about -290 Fahrenheit) that water exists as solid stone and, possibly, liquid water oceans deep underground. Instead of water, Titan's surface liquid cycle centers on methane. It evaporates from methane lakes and seas, creates methane clouds in the atmosphere, and rains back down again. 'Titan is the only other place in our solar system that has weather like Earth, in the sense that it has clouds and rainfall onto a surface,' explained astronomer Conor Nixon of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, in a statement. Astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Keck observatories during two observation windows, one in November 2022 and another in July 2023, to investigate the weather cycle on Titan. In those observations, they identified two bright areas of methane cloud cover in the mid and high northern latitudes. It's the first time astronomers have seen evidence of convection in the northern parts of Titan. That's where most of the moon's methane lakes and seas are, covering an area roughly equivalent to the North American Great Lakes. That's where Titan's weather cycle starts, as methane evaporates from the rivers and lakes on the surface, creating clouds. Keck and JWST investigated the layers of Titan's atmosphere to estimate the altitude of clouds and track their movement over time. In observations taken days apart, astronomers watched clouds rise to higher altitudes, where methane gets broken down by sunlight or energetic electrons from Saturn's magnetosphere. As methane breaks down, it creates methyl radicals like CH3 which combine to create other molecules like ethane. Finally, they condense and fall from the alien sky as rain, returning to the surface and completing the cycle. Titan may not be the most comfortable place in the universe, but it's about as close to home as any place we've found. Visit alien worlds on The Ark, .
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Active weather region spotted for first time on a faraway moon
Partly cloudy with a chance of methane? Astronomers with the Space Telescope Science Institute say they have spotted evidence of active weather patterns on Saturn's largest moon, Titan, helping to shape theories of the natural satellite. Using data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and the ground-based Keck II telescope in Hawaii, researchers said they were able to discern cloud formations over bodies of methane and ethane gases across the moon's northern hemisphere. The discovery is notable because previous observations only suggested that meteorological processes occurred over its southern hemisphere. Images captured by the technology observed clouds above the mid- to high-northern latitudes, where the summer season was underway. "Titan is the only other place in our solar system that has weather like Earth, in the sense that it has clouds and rainfall onto a surface," Conor Nixon of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said in a statement. See The Objects Humans Left Behind On The Moon According to Nasa, Titan possesses a dense nitrogen-based atmosphere and apparently has an active weather cycle similar to Earth — only instead of raining water, it's raining methane. Due to its unique atmosphere, temperatures are thought to hover around -290 degrees Fahrenheit, but despite the frigid environment, evaporation, cloud formation and rainfall all occur. The northern hemisphere is home to most of Titan's lakes and is similar in structure to North America's Great Lakes, with the lakes instead being fed by liquid methane rainfall. Unlike Earth, Titan's troposphere extends much higher, reaching about 27 miles above the surface, compared to Earth's 7-mile-tall troposphere, according to researchers at the Space Telescope Science Institute. Saturn is thought to have around 274 moons - more than any other planet in the solar system - but it is unknown if any of the natural satellites exhibit characteristics similar to Titan. Telescope Captures Sight Of Bright Auroras, But These Aren't On Earth Over time, methane in Titan's atmosphere is being depleted, and without a replenishing source, the moon could lose its atmosphere - similar to the fate of Mars. "On Titan, methane is a consumable. It's possible that it is being constantly resupplied and fizzing out of the crust and interior over billions of years. If not, eventually it will all be gone and Titan will become a mostly airless world of dust and dunes," Nixon stated. NASA plans to launch a rotorcraft to conduct surveillance of Titan, but a launch is not anticipated before 2028, with an arrival around 2034. "With contributions from partners around the globe, Dragonfly's scientific payload will characterize the habitability of Titan's environment, investigate the progression of prebiotic chemistry on Titan, where carbon-rich material and liquid water may have mixed for an extended period, and search for chemical indications of whether water-based or hydrocarbon-based life once existed on Saturn's moon," NASA recently stated about the planned article source: Active weather region spotted for first time on a faraway moon
