Titan a 'Flammable' Moon Covered in Liquid Gas

Al-Rueters via Yapoo ^ | 1/21/05 | Ben Berkowitz

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Yes, that is an actual picture. It's just not a photograph.

[o_zarkman44]

The natural gas liquifys when cooled. Not sure at what temperature though.

[Dallas59]

What a great resource...To bad the UN exists.

[Tijeras_Slim]

I want the contract for No Smoking signs.

[Strategerist]

Yes, that is an actual picture. It's just not a photograph.

If it's an actual picture it has nothing to do with Titan.

[theFIRMbss]

>"We've got a flammable world," said Toby Owen, an atmospheric scientist

Is this possible?!
Here, in the inner system
the Earth's atmosphere

is constantly hit
by meteors that burn up
at various heights.

Saturn is a deep
gravity well not too far
from the asteroids

which also get churned
by Jupiter's gravity . . .
My initial thought

is there must be lots
of junk always impacting
Titan's atmosphere.

(And, of course, it must
have been happening non-stop
for a long, long time . . .)

How could flammable
materials still be there
in large quantities?!

[rmichaelj]

I think it is actually the increased pressure in the tanks which liquifies it. The coolness of the tanks and from when you release it is due to the energy absorbed due to the "evaporation" of the liquid to gas form.

[Strategerist]

How could flammable materials still be there in large quantities?!

Did you miss the "no oxygen" part?

[mrsmith]

Hera: "Zeus, honey, you're putting too much lighter fluid on those coals. Remember what happened last time!"

Zeus: "Shut up woman!"

[Mr. Jeeves]

No oxygen. It can't burn.

[MacDorcha]

"So.... If we reshape the orbit of an ice comet... providing the "O", and torch off a 1 megaton nuke, how long would Titan burn? "

Until there was no more methane or oxygen, of course :p

Although, wouldn't the impact by an ice comet provide the friction and heat required to ignite it?

[theFIRMbss]

I meant to ping you
in my post #26 for
your technical thoughts . . .

[evets]

Cheese flambe'

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

So.... If we reshape the orbit of an ice comet... providing the "O"

I think the "O" you are referring to is in the H20. Unfortunately H2O is a combustion product of hydrocarbons like natural gas. It is the ashy remains of methane, if you will. Wouldn't burn any further. There would be no molecular oxygen on Earth if not for photosynthesis, which constantly separates chemically bound oxygen. In geological terms all the oxygen on Earth would be consumed very quickly if it were not constantly renewed. The article is provocative in that reinforces the abiotic origins of hydrocarbons. There may be vast reserves of natural gas deep within the Earth, waiting to be discovered.

[Strategerist]

Even an Ice comet has it's oxygen locked up in water.

Even with an impact I don't think you're going to separate that molecule.

[MacDorcha]

I think part of the point was that Oxygen would be introduced into it (as asteroids would contain water and Oxygen.)

[Sloth]

Yes, but it's already reacted oxygen. It's got no reason to burn again.

[atomicpossum]

(You know I do understand what the author is saying, right? I'm just being pedantic...)

[MacDorcha]

hmmm... no liquid oxygen or free radicals? I assumed ice asteroids contained a little of most life-essential molecules. Mayhaps I'm wrong though. It's happend before.

[theFIRMbss]

>"There's no source of oxygen available, which is a good thing or Titan would have exploded a long time ago," Owen said.

[sighs] Yes, in classic
Friday fashion, my brain stuck
at the post's top, and

I went off half-baked
without reading the whole thing.
Sorry! [sighs again]