"Astrobiologists also place Titan high on the list of bodies in the solar system where extraterrestrial life might exist today." - http://clapway.com/2015/06/21/lakes-on-titan-fill-earth-like-sinkholes-124/

Researchers suggest that some of the lakes and oceans covering Saturn’s moon Titan reside in sinkholes.

THE LIQUID BODIES OF TITAN

Titan is likely too cold for liquid water to exist on the moon’s surface. But liquid methane rains down from the sky and fills the bodies of liquid. Rivers and streams fill many of these large, deep liquid bodies. But other smaller, shallow lakes appear to exist on their own, independent of any stream or river.

Based on new data collected by the joint NASA/European Space Agency (ESA) Cassini mission, researchers believe that geological features found on Earth can explain these stand-alone lakes.

A team led by ESA planetary scientist Thomas Cornet surmises that geologic features known as karst landforms provides a possible explanation. This type of landscape forms on Earth when water drains into the ground, resulting in erosion of rocks and other materials over time, which can lead to sinkholes. The thought is that sinkholes form on Titan like they do on Earth, and are filled with liquid by rainfall and underground sources.

“By comparing Titan’s surface features with examples on Earth and applying a few simple calculations, we have found similar land-shaping processes that could be operating under very different climate and chemical regimes,” explains ESA’s Cassini project scientist Nicolas Altobelli. She continues, “This is a great comparative study between our home planet and a dynamic world more than a billion kilometers away in the outer solar system.” The team’s research was recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, Planets.

A COMPLEX ALIEN WORLD

Planetary scientists and astrobiologists routinely look to Earth to explain features and behaviors on other worlds, and to better understand the conditions in which life can exist.

Aside from holding the title of the second largest moon in the solar system (Jupiter’s moon Ganymede is the largest), Titan is one of the most exciting bodies in the solar system because of its atmosphere’s similarity to Earth’s atmosphere, and because, as far as scientists are aware, it is the only other body in the solar system with bodies of liquid on its surface. And, based on its tilt and movement, scientists suspect a vast ocean sits beneath Titan’s surface.

Astrobiologists also place Titan high on the list of bodies in the solar system where extraterrestrial life might exist today. Previous studies of Titan have shown the moon to have a chemically complex surface on which exotic forms of life could exist. The Cassini mission has been a tremendous success, and it continues providing valuable information about Saturn and its moons to researchers.

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Lakes on Titan Fill Earth-Like Sinkholes

NASA"s Cassini Makes Its Final Flyby Of Saturn"s Strange Moon - http://clapway.com/2015/06/01/nasas-cassini-flyby-of-saturn-moon123/

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft obtained one final look at Hyperion, Saturn’s moon, after making its last flyby this past Sunday on May 31^st. According to a report by NASA, the interstellar vehicle passed the moon at a distance of 21,000 miles at 9:36 a.m. EDT. Although this is not the closest it has traveled to the celestial body, it is still very near.

The moon, distinguished by its irregular shape, sponge-like appearance and chaotic rotation, was discovered in 1848. At its widest point, the moon spans 255 miles, and is believed to have once been part of a larger body. It is also the eighth largest moon in Saturn’s orbit, and possesses a very low density.

HISTORY OF NASA’S CASSINI SPACECRAFT

Back in 2005, Cassini flew extremely close to Hyperion, hovering only 310 miles away from the moon. This time around, however, researchers are hoping to retrieve some new information about Hyperion’s terrain, once images are sent back down to Earth either by today or tomorrow. Unfortunately, this task has not always been easy. Due to Hyperion’s chaotic rotation, it is very difficult for Cassini to focus on a particular region of the moon’s surface. Historically, most of the images obtained by Cassini have been of the same, familiar side of Hyperion.

Now Cassini will continue on its mission to examine several other moons before its operational life comes to an end. The next flyby will occur on June 16, when it will pass 321 miles above Dione – a small moon about 698 miles in diameter that orbits Saturn every 2.7 Earth days.

From there, Cassini will make two more flybys of Enceladus, Saturn’s 6^th largest moon, which NASA refers to as “one of the most scientifically compelling bodies in our solar system,” mainly due to its icy jets that gush water vapor and gases, including carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, and either carbon monoxide or nitrogen gas. For this reason scientists believe that Enceladus might hold the key ingredients life. On Cassini’s flyby, it will come as close as 30 miles to the surface before it continues navigating between Saturn and its famous rings.

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NASA"s Cassini Makes Its Final Flyby Of Saturn"s Strange Moon