NASA reveals first-ever photo of liquid on another world

NASA reveals first-ever photo of liquid on another world

www.cnn.com

NASA scientists revealed Friday a first-of-its-kind image from space showing reflecting sunlight from a lake on Saturn's largest moon, Titan.

It's the first visual "smoking gun" evidence of liquid on the northern hemisphere of the moon, scientists said, and the first-ever photo from another planet showing a "specular reflection" -- which is reflection from a liquid surface.

"This is the first time outside Earth we've seen specular reflection from another liquid from another body,".

(visit the link for the full news article)


Mod edit: Changed thread title to match the article headline. -- Majic

[edit on 12/18/2009 by Majic]

This is incredible only 1 day after they found water on a super earth in a nearby galaxy now they have found water on saturns moon. It is weird how it keeps building up of water on other celestial boddies such as the moon, the super earth, saturn's moon and what's next? I believe this is just the beginning of our great findings in not only our own galaxy but in alll of the galaxies.

www.cnn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

The lake is liquid methane.

Yep, I wouldn't be making any Kool-aid with that "water"....

As for the "Earth-like" planet having water...I have to kind of doubt it, with the temperatures they were saying for it (well above the boiling point)...even with intense pressure...

I'm still holding out for Europa though...and a few other choice spots...

If I'm not mistaken! Wasn't Titan supposedly to be a wash in a hydrocarbon lakes? Now it's water?

reply to post by Gazrok


I have to agree Gazrok. I too am holding out for Europa. The movie 2010 peaked my interest in the moon. But back to topic, that was an awesome photo. I dunno some liquid methane might be that added kick for my egg nog

Originally posted by Phage
The lake is liquid methane.

I would say at one point that methane was rotting vegetation, it could have been just that millions of years ago, maybe even billions.

After researching the chemical compound properties of Methane I found the following:

Wikipedia URL Source:

Burning methane in the presence of oxygen produces carbon dioxide and water.

This sparked an idea in my mind, so I began researching Solid Oxygen (Source: Wikipedia) with great excitement and found:

Solid oxygen forms at normal atmospheric pressure at a temperature below 54.36 K (−218.79 °C, −361.82 °F).

I then thought, Titan could be Terraformed quite easily. Here is what I read on the OP (CNN Source:

"The temperature on Titan's surface is something like minus-180 degrees Celsius," he said. "That means it's very cold. But you never know." - Ralf Jaumann.

So, if Solid Oxygen forms at a normal atmospheric pressure at a temperature below -218.79 °C and the temperature on Titan's surface is something like -180 °C then that would mean that the Solid Oxygen (If shot from a controlled Rocket/s outside the orbit of Titan) landed on Titan, would start to melt and release Carbon Dioxide into the Nitrogen atmosphere of Titan?

I am no scientist, anyone care to review my theory of Terraforming Titan?

Those methane lakes had to have originated from somewhere, could it have once been inhabited by plants and trees in the past?

EDIT: Let me give a better explanation. If burning methane in the presence of oxygen, produces carbon dioxide and water, then the Oxygen that is released from the solid oxygen (due to melting because of an approximate temperature difference of -38.79°C) would produce Carbon Dioxide.

If you could ignite the methane with a bomb this would then burn the methane while surrounded in melted solid oxygen would produce carbon dioxide - Repeating this process until the required measurement of Carbon Dioxide has diluted the present atmospheric measurement of Nitrogen. This will give suitable atmospheric conditions for plant life which depend on carbon dioxide to live. These plants, in return will produce Oxygen.

EUREKÁ!

(I was always more keen of Ganymede on Jupiter, but Titan also looks promising for a Plan:B option for future human survival if ever astrologically threatened).



[edit on 18/12/2009 by the_denv]

[edit on 18/12/2009 by the_denv]

I agree it is methane, but why mislead the populace and not just state it's methane. Liquid is just so generic, but it sells the story...whatever.

Thanks for sharing the story though.

reply to post by the_denv



wouldn't a bomb just blow that puppy to smithereens?

with methane and O2 in abundance?

i'd be afraid of a chain reaction, how could you keep it localized.

besides, wouldn't it just freeze again?

Originally posted by Misoir


This is incredible only 1 day after they found water on a super earth in a nearby galaxy now they have found water on saturns moon. It is weird how it keeps building up of water on other celestial boddies such as the moon, the super earth, saturn's moon and what's next? I believe this is just the beginning of our great findings in not only our own galaxy but in alll of the galaxies.

www.cnn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Why would you think that was water unless you knew absolutely nothing about the planet conditions and basic chemistry?

Crash the Satelite into that methane and watch it burn!...

Then search for real water after that

reply to post by fooks


it be near impossible to get them to react together under those conditions. Theres only one reason NASA is excited about finding methane its considered a prebiotic.


1n 1953, a University of Chicago graduate student named Stanley Miller working in Harold Urey's lab flipped a switch sending electric current through a chamber containing a combination of methane, ammonia, hydrogen and water. The experiment yielded organic compounds including amino acids, the building blocks of life.

reply to post by Misoir


It doesn't look like Pandora.
I'll take Europa.
I'll bet there is life under that ice.
I'll also bet they are much more advanced than we are.

What about europa? I hear it's all water.

reply to post by pepsi78


There is ice on top.
I think below the ice is a thriving population.

I think the ice acts like a snow cave.

[edit on 20-12-2009 by Eurisko2012]

Originally posted by Gazrok
Yep, I wouldn't be making any Kool-aid with that "water"....

Meh, pay me enough and I'll give it a try...

I'm still holding out for Europa though...and a few other choice spots...

As a former NASA chief said to a US Senate Committee...

"I'm almost certain there is life on Europa"

Originally posted by infinite

As a former NASA chief said to a US Senate Committee...

"I'm almost certain there is life on Europa"

Which is why we should be probing the hell out of it. Our space program (the earth's space programs collectively) is moving at such a slow pace, that we'll never find life unless it slaps us in the face, and even that is iffy.