Is there atmosphere on Titan?

Unlike any other moon in the solar system — there are more than 200 — Titan has a thick atmosphere that’s four times denser than Earth’s, plus clouds, rain, lakes and rivers, and even a subsurface ocean of salty water. Titan’s atmosphere is made mostly of nitrogen, like Earth’s, with a hint of methane.

What is the surface pressure of Titan?

Titan’s atmosphere is similar to Earth’s both in the predominance of nitrogen gas and in surface pressure, which is about 1.5 bars, or 50 percent higher than sea-level pressure on Earth.

Does Titan have an active surface?

The Cassini-Huygens mission revealed that Titan’s surface is quite young by planetary standards, with only a few large impact craters observed. Although no active volcanoes were observed by Cassini, landforms that may be ice volcanoes were discovered.

Why does Titan have an atmosphere?

The dense atmosphere roiling on Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, may come from organic material baking in the moon’s interior. “The main theory has been that ammonia ice from comets was converted, by impacts or photochemistry, into nitrogen to form Titan’s atmosphere.

What are some key surface features of Titan?

Surface features Lakes. False-color Cassini radar mosaic of Titan’s north polar region. Impact craters. Radar image of a 139 km-diameter impact crater on Titan’s surface, showing a smooth floor, rugged rim, and possibly a central peak. Cryovolcanism and mountains. Dark equatorial terrain.

What is the temperature on surface of Titan?

Temperature. Titan receives just about 1% of the amount of sunlight Earth does. The average surface temperature is about 90.6 K (-182.55 °C, or -296.59 °F). At this temperature water ice has an extremely low vapor pressure, so the atmosphere is nearly free of water vapor.

What is on the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan?

Titan (moon) Titan is the largest moon of Saturn. It is the only moon known to have a dense atmosphere, and the only object in space, other than Earth, where clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid have been found. Titan is the sixth gravitationally rounded moon from Saturn.

What is the surface of the moon Titan like?

Titan is an icy moon with a surface of rock-hard water ice, but Titan also likely has a liquid water ocean beneath its surface.