Exploring Titan

Titan

The second largest moon in the solar system, named after the titans of Greek mythology, with a diameter 50 percent larger than Earth's moon and composed mainly of water ice and rocky material.

Atmosphere

Titan has a planet-like atmosphere composed mainly of nitrogen (95%) and methane (5%), making it the only moon in the solar system with clouds and a significant atmosphere.

Seasons

Titan experiences seasons due to its methane cycle, making it the only other place aside from Earth to have distinct seasons.

Christiaan Huygens

Dutch astronomer who discovered Titan, Saturn's largest moon, in 1655.

Cassini spacecraft

A spacecraft that completed a two-decade-long mission to Saturn, including the exploration of Titan. It was launched in 1997 and arrived at Saturn in 2004.

Huygen's Probe

The probe attached to the Cassini spacecraft that made the first landing on the surface of a moon in the outer solar system when it landed on Titan in 2005.

Nitrogen

The dominant component of Titan's atmosphere, which creates the orange haze surrounding the moon.

Liquid Methane

Titan has seas and lakes of liquid methane on its surface, and there is a possibility of an internal sea of liquid methane beneath its surface.