Northern Summer on Titan
Explanation:
Today's
solstice
brings summer to planet Earth's northern hemisphere.
But the northern summer
solstice arrived
for ringed planet Saturn over three years ago on May 24, 2017.
Orbiting
the gas giant,
Saturn's moon Titan experiences the
Saturnian
seasons.
Larger than inner planet Mercury, Titan was captured in this
Cassini spacecraft image
about two weeks after its northern summer began.
The near-infrared view finds bright methane clouds drifting through
Titan's dense, hazy atmosphere
as seen from a distance of about 507,000 kilometers.
Below the clouds, dark
hydrocarbon lakes sprawl near
its fully illuminated north pole.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
