Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Ringside with Titan and Dione

NASA ^ | January 05, 2012 | (see photo credit)

[SunkenCiv]

[Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA]

[KoRn]

Nice pic! As always.

[SunkenCiv]

One last reminder:

Best Short Astronomy Videos: APOD editor to speak in New York City on Friday, January 6

join or quit list APoD 'blog post new APoD topic Astronomy Picture of the Day topic & keyword Astronomy Chat, Bloggers & keyword Science Chat, Bloggers & keyword NASA's APoD archive Calendar 1995-present APoD on your desktop

[RockinRight]

Are there liberals on Titan?

[left that other site]

Magnificent! thanks!

[SunkenCiv]

It’s pretty cool lookin’. Other than the physical drawbacks to long-term microgravity, spending time aboard a station orbiting Saturn would have to be right up there on both the vocation and avocation lists. :’)

[Engraved-on-His-hands]

Looks fake. But, since it’s real, great pic!

[cripplecreek]

Interesting story about the search for moons around exoplanets.

http://www.space.com/14141-alien-planets-moons-life-computer-simulations.html

[dr_lew]

I had a little trouble picturing the ring shadows. This raw image from around the same time makes it a easier since it shows the rim of Saturn's disk, plus you can see detail on Titan's surface in this shot. ( I searched the raw image gallery for TITAN as target of the NARROW ANGLE camera for dates 05/01/2011 thru 05/31/2011 . )

[PGalt]

Thanks. WOW!

[Little Pig]

I’d hang that on my wall. It’s at least as good as any “modern” art, and the fact that it’s a photograph makes it infinitely cooler.

[RC51]

Titan’s atmosphere is about 1.19 times as massive as Earth’s overall and includes Methane & Ethane. There are also trace amounts of other hydrocarbons, such as ethane, diacetylene, methylacetylene, acetylene and propane. Titan’s atmosphere is the only dense, nitrogen-rich atmosphere in the Solar System aside from the Earth’s.

So there is a hydrocarbon rich body larger than our own moon & the planet Mercury. Why is this not evidence that oil & gas have nothing to with ancient biological activity. If true it could render the theory of “peak oil” null & void.

[ixtl]

Are you telling us there is oil and gas on Titan? OMG! If this doesn’t get the space program going again, nothing will. (Tongue firmly embedded in cheek.)

[brytlea]

You’re right it does. I wonder why? But yes, cool image. As always.

[SunkenCiv]

No, but I can’t think of a better place to send ‘em all. :’)

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks, and I hope that’s a potential X-Planets topic for FR.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks for the kind remarks!

[SunkenCiv]

It’s an “autumn” complexioned planetary system. :’)

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks RC51, here’s a keyword related to your excellent post.

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/thomasgold/index