Mystery object in lake on Saturn's moon Titan intrigues scientists

Scientists are investigating a mystery object that appeared and then vanished again from a giant lake on Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. They spotted the object in an image taken by Nasa's Cassini probe last year as it swung around the alien moon, more than a billion kilometres from Earth. Pictures of the same spot captured nothing before or some days later.

Mystery object in lake on Saturn's moon Titan intrigues scientists

So an entire 12 mile long island was there then disappeared. Very intriguing. We have yet to understand the fluidics of hydrocarbons under extreme low temperatures. I work with liquid nitrogen and it's fascinating to see it look like water in liquid form and then sublimate into the environment. I believe Titan holds many mysteries and will probably be the next place we explore and pillage for a hydrocarbon resource once we bleed out the Earth.

a reply to: Kratos40

Neat disappearing trick.

I believe Titan holds many mysteries and will probably be the next place we explore and pillage for a hydrocarbon resource once we bleed out the Earth.

I've always wondered how come these fuel rich environs don't blow up or burn off their hydrocarbons from impactors or volcanoes, whatever? Certainly easy here to set oil wells alight, how come these moons aren't burning all the time?

Kind of Zoom, WHAM …pooof, no?

a reply to: Kratos40

Add some lower-than-earth gravity and tidal forces from Saturn too.

a reply to: intrptr

I would think it has something to do with the lack of oxygen.

originally posted by: PrinceRupertsDog
a reply to: intrptr

I would think it has something to do with the lack of oxygen.

Oh.

Derpdom question of the day.

ETA: Wait a second, if comets have water ice which contains oxygen, can't an impact cloud spark a wider conflagration?

a reply to: intrptr

I believe that a hot meteorite can hit one of Titans hydrocarbon lakes, but there is no oxygen to facilitate the exothermic reaction.

ETA: I meant Exo and not Endo. Derpy Sunday blues....

originally posted by: intrptr

originally posted by: PrinceRupertsDog
a reply to: intrptr

I would think it has something to do with the lack of oxygen.

Oh.

Derpdom question of the day.

Its ok to be derpy. It's Sunday. LOL!

Whales on Titan.

a reply to: Thorneblood

A pretty big whale on a very frigid lake that lives on hydrogen cyanide. That is a heck of a survivor.

a reply to: intrptr

I would think the chemical reaction would last as long as the available free oxygen. I'm not a chemist, and I'm not sure how that would specifically work... since the H2O bond is pretty strong. Same with CO2, which would be what you had left. I think. I may just be blowing smoke.

Chemistry also works a little differently when its very cold.

Off the subject, Google FOOF if you're interested in very scary explostions at very cold temperatures.

a reply to: intrptr

If a comet/asteroid rich in frozen water impacts a planet/moon that is pretty much frozen, the extreme low temperature will quench the exothermic reaction.

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: Kratos40

Neat disappearing trick.

I believe Titan holds many mysteries and will probably be the next place we explore and pillage for a hydrocarbon resource once we bleed out the Earth.

I've always wondered how come these fuel rich environs don't blow up or burn off their hydrocarbons from impactors or volcanoes, whatever? Certainly easy here to set oil wells alight, how come these moons aren't burning all the time?

Kind of Zoom, WHAM …pooof, no?

You need something else to complete the explosive reaction - Oxygen, heat and pressure. In chemistry, you have equations like:

2.C2H6 + 3.O2 -> 2.CO2 + 3.H2O

That says that the ethane reacts with oxygen to form carbon dioxide and water. Remove oxygen from the air, no explosion. On the other hand, if you raise the oxygen content of the air above a certain percentage, then anything carbon based like wood or meat will spontaneously combust. The combustion engine is based on all of this.

a reply to: Kratos40
You are right, probably to complex a lifeform for Titan.

"Jellyfish" then.

Could it be like a nitrogen iceberg or something? I'm not familiar with liquid nitrogen and don't know if it's possible for an iceberg to form in certain conditions.

a reply to: Thorneblood

Oh Thorneblood. May the gods bless your soul. Jelly fish are pretty much made of water. It would be the last creature to exist in such extremes.
But if you would have mentioned these jellyfish were made of DNA consisting of Silicon instead of Carbon, then maybe we can have a conversation here.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

It could very well be a gigantic iceberg of H2O/N2/CO2 that just crept up and then sunk down. Here on Earth we've had chunks of ice come off the Antartic ice shelf bigger than this.

I am reminded of a Sci/fi novel from ages ago by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. titled "Sirens of Titan"
A manufactured anomaly is found in the ice of Titan and an expedition is launched to find out what it is.
Turns out it is an alien ship that has been there since the dawn of man, laying there in the ice.

The humans get there and dig down to the alien ship. Once in, they somehow activate the ships control AI which asks them to go get the element from one of their pieces of equipment, which they do. The AI says "plug it in here please" and they do.

It then says thanks and now leave this ship as I am leaving. What? say the humans. After all this time. We thought we could learn from you all about the universe. The AI says know this. A billion years ago I broke down here and had no way to find a replacement part. So I sent a concentrated beam to your planet, generated an intelligent species which would some day invent space travel and along with it this particular filament in this particular type of machinery. Now I have it and I'm outta here. See ya my children.

Returning to say thanks all for the enlightenment. Geez, and I'm thinking I'm an explosives expert. My mind reels with the "chemistry" involved in titanic impacts. Titon is supposed to be this hydrocarbon moon, just musing about extremes.

Does it look like a blue police box?

a reply to: Kratos40

Wouldn't that be implied given the environment?
Unless you wanna talk Germanium, which could be more interesting?
If microbrial extremophiles can exist under these conditions on a global level ( the lakes mentioned for example) and were allowed to evolve naturally would not one of the most likely forms of life they would adopt be a "jellyfish"?
In this case given the season could this be evidence of a "bloom"?