Best images of Titan yet
New images and data from the Cassini-Huygens space probe have given us the clearest picture yet of Saturn’s moon Titan. Astronomers say the moon is much more “active” than they had originally thought. The surface appears to be very windy, and the moon may even harbour huge lakes-not of water, but of methane. On the warmer Earth, methane exists as a gas, and is one of the prime culprits involved in global warming. But on cold Titan, far away from the sun, methane distils into a liquid. There does, however, appear to be some water on Titan-scientists think its core is made of ice. Scientists are particularly interested in Titan because its chemical makeup may resemble that of the Earth four billion years ago. The image above is not Titan as is actually appears, but what it looks like in UV and infrared light. Titan normally appears orange, the colour of its smoggy atmosphere.
-Zoe Cormier
Source: Nature
Sun at height of activity
After piecing together a record of the sun’s activity for the last 11,000 years, astronomers think that the sun has been more active during the past 70 years than it was for the previous 8,000. This finding may complicate our current understanding of what exactly is causing global warming. Most scientists believe that the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, mostly from the burning of fossil fuels, is to blame. But there is some evidence to suggest that the activity of the sun can also affect the temperature of the Earth. Between 1650 and 1700 astronomers recorded that the sun was very inactive. This coincides with the coldest period of a time now known as the Little Ice Age, when the entire Earth was much cooler than average. It appears that the sun cycles in its activity, having been just as active 8,000 years ago as it is today. Some astronomers believe that the sun will progressively decrease in activity over the next few decades.
-Z.C.
Source: Nature
