Scientists Discover Liquid on Saturn's Moon Titan

[bassplayer142]

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/07/lake-of-petrole.html

 

[pixel01]

So petroleum on Earth may not have the biological origin?

 

[B. Elliott]

Not really new news, just further confirmation.

Liquid Lakes on Titan

The existence of oceans or lakes of liquid methane on Saturn's moon Titan was predicted more than 20 years ago. But with a dense haze preventing a closer look it has not been possible to confirm their presence. Until the Cassini flyby of July 22, 2006, that is.

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/image-details.cfm?imageID=2432

 

[baywax]

Not really new news, just further confirmation.

Liquid Lakes on Titan

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/image-details.cfm?imageID=2432

Pretty cool...

Until now, however, scientists were unsure how the methane got from the ground to the sky and vice versa. Although rain was the obvious candidate, no one had been able to actually see it raining. Titan is about 1 billion miles from Earth, so charting the local weather is a challenge.

The two telescopes snapped images of the moon as the morning sun caught its leading edge, revealing a thick methane cloud bank and a steady drizzle.

The drizzle appears to dissipate after about 10:30 a.m. Titan time, the research team said. Because Titan rotates so slowly, the morning sprinkle lasts about three Earth days, conditions that might test the hardiest Brit.

http://articles.latimes.com/2007/oct/13/science/sci-titan13