This picture of Titan is a composite of several infrared images captured by the Cassini spacecraft. The dark regions are dunes, which cover much of the moon's surface at low latitudes. Brighter areas are apparently highlands. Click on image for full size (46 Kb) Image courtesy of NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.

Titan's thick atmosphere obscures the moon's surface. Until recently, scientists knew very little about Titan's surface. Now, largely thanks to images and radar data from the Cassini spacecraft and Huygens lander, a clearer picture of this mysterious moon's surface is beginning to emerge.

Many of Titan's surface features are shaped by liquids; but, in the case of frigid Titan, the liquid is not water. Instead, liquid hydrocarbons, especially methane ("natural gas") and ethane, sculpt Titan's surface. Lakes and possibly even small seas dot both of the moon's polar regions, especially Titan's North Pole. They are the first stable bodies of surface liquid found off Earth! Hydrocarbons continuously move between Titan's atmosphere and surface in a fashion similar to the water cycle on Earth. Channels that look like river systems on Earth carve sinuous paths through Titan's highlands; the channels may indicate that methane rain falls from Titan's clouds and flows, at least periodically, across the moon's surface. Geysers or "volcanoes", spouting mixtures of water and ammonia, may also erupt from time to time on Titan's surface.

While Titan's poles are dotted with lakes, its equatorial regions are dominated by dunes. Some dunes are up to 330 meters (over 1,000 feet) high! The particles that Titan's winds pile into dunes may consist of organic granules formed in the upper atmosphere, thoroughly un-like the silica-based sands on Earth. Highlands interrupt the vast dune fields at various places. The dunelands appear dark when viewed from space, while the highlands are light in color. Channels, which may be methane riverbeds, cut through the highlands. There are even some mountain ranges, with peaks up to 1 km (3,281 feet) tall.

Some impact craters have been spotted on Titan. The craters are few in number. Titan's thick atmosphere vaporizes most meteors before they can reach the surface. Also, the moon's surface seems quite "young" in geologic terms, indicating that Titan is geologically active.

The Huygens probe landed on Titan in January 2005. It sent back our first close-up looks of Titan, both from the ground and from the air above the surface as it parachuted down. Huygens images showed river-like channels cutting through highlands and terrain dotted with small ice rocks - for water ice becomes hard as stone at the frigid temperatures of Titan's surface (around -180° C or -355° F).

This picture shows the surface of Titan. Dark areas are covered with dunes. Lighter areas seem to be highlands. It is hard to see the surface of Titan because the moon has a thick atmosphere. Click on image for full size (46 Kb) Image courtesy of NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.

Saturn's moon Titan has a thick atmosphere. That makes it hard to study the surface of Titan. However, starting in 2004, the Cassini spacecraft and Huygens lander gathered lots of new data about Titan's surface. We are still learning about Titan, but we now know a lot more than we used to.

The surface of Titan is very, very cold: around -180° C (-355° F). At those temperatures methane (also called "natural gas" - like the stuff that your home's furnace or oven might burn) turns into a liquid. Scientists have found lakes of methane and other similar chemicals (called hydrocarbons) on Titan. Those lakes are the first stable bodies of surface liquid found off Earth! The lakes are mostly near Titan's poles. Scientists have also seen patterns that might be made by rivers and streams of methane. There might also be geysers or "volcanoes" on Titan that shoot a mixture of ammonia and water into the air.

A lot of Titan is covered by dunes. Those areas look dark when seen from space. Some dunes are 330 meters (over 1,000 feet) high! The dunes are mostly near Titan's equator. There are also hilly areas and even some mountains on Titan. The tallest peaks are about 1 km (3,281 feet) tall. There are also a few impact craters on Titan, but not very many. Most meteors burn up in Titan's thick atmosphere before they hit the ground.

The Huygens probe landed on Titan in January 2005. It sent back the first close-up pictures of Titan's surface. It took pictures from the air while it floated down on a parachute. It also took pictures on the ground.

This picture shows the surface of Titan. Dark areas are covered with dunes. Lighter areas seem to be highlands. It is hard to see the surface of Titan because the moon has a thick atmosphere. Click on image for full size (46 Kb) Image courtesy of NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.

Titan is the largest moon of Saturn. Titan has a very thick atmosphere. That makes it hard to "see" the surface of Titan. In the past, we didn't know much about the surface of Titan. Starting in 2004, the Cassini spacecraft and Huygens lander gathered lots of new data about Titan's surface. We are still learning about Titan, but now we know a lot more than we used to.

The surface of Titan is very, very cold. It is around -180° C (-355° F). Brrrrrr! On Earth, we use a chemical called methane for fuel. Methane is also called "natural gas". Many people have furnaces or ovens that burn methane. On Titan, the cold temperatures turn natural gas into a liquid. There are lakes of liquid methane on Titan! The lakes are mostly near Titan's poles. There might also be rivers or streams of methane on Titan.

A lot of Titan is covered by dunes. Some dunes are 330 meters (over 1,000 feet) high! The dunes are mostly near Titan's equator. There are also hilly areas and even some mountains on Titan. There are a few meteorite craters on Titan, but not very many. Most meteors burn up in Titan's thick atmosphere before they hit the ground.

The Huygens probe landed on Titan in January 2005. It sent back the first close-up pictures of Titan's surface. It took pictures from the air while it floated down on a parachute. It also took pictures on the ground.