![](\"http:\/\/www.esa.int\/var\/esa\/storage\/images\/esa_multimedia\/images\/2019\/01\/seeing_titan_with_infrared_eyes\/19187678-1-eng-GB\/Seeing_Titan_with_infrared_eyes_small.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\nSaturn\u2019s moon Titan is enveloped in a thick atmosphere, but through the infrared eyes of the international Cassini mission, the moon\u2019s myriad surface features are revealed in this exquisite global mosaic.\n<\/p>\n
\nObserving the surface of Saturn\u2019s largest moon, Titan, in visible light is difficult due to the globe-enshrouding haze<\/a> that envelops the moon. On 14 January 2005, the mystery as to what lay beneath the thick atmosphere was revealed as ESA\u2019s Huygens probe \u2013 carried to Titan by Cassini \u2013 made the first successful landing<\/a> on a world in the outer Solar System. During the two-and-a-half hour descent under parachute, features that looked remarkably like shore lines and river systems<\/a> on Earth appeared from the haze. But rather than water, with surface temperatures of around \u2013180\u00baC, the fluid involved here is methane, a simple organic compound that also contributes to the moon\u2019s obscuring atmosphere.\n<\/p>\n \nThanks to Cassini, which studied Saturn and its rings and moons for thirteen years, Titan was extensively mapped and analysed. One result is this stunning sequence of images created using data acquired by Cassini\u2019s Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS), whose infrared observations peered through Titan\u2019s atmosphere, complementing the views obtained by Huygens during descent and on the surface. The maps combine data from the multitude of different observations made under a wide variety of illumination and viewing conditions over the course of the mission, stitched together in a seamless mosaic to provide the best representation of Titan\u2019s surface to date.\n<\/p>\n \nThe colours reflect variations in materials on the moon\u2019s surface. For example, the moon\u2019s equatorial dune fields appear a consistent brown colour, while bluish and purple hues may indicate materials enriched in water ice. \n<\/p>\n \nThe image was first published in July 2018 \u2013 read more here<\/a> about how the image was created, and enjoy a video featuring further stunning visuals here<\/a>. The complete Cassini VIMS data archive of Saturn\u2019s satellites is available here.<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \nThe Cassini mission is a cooperative project of NASA, ESA and Italy\u2019s ASI space agency. The mission concluded in September 2017<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \nSaturn’s moon Titan is enveloped in a thick atmosphere, but through the infrared eyes of the international Cassini mission, the moon’s myriad surface features are revealed in this exquisite global mosaic.\n<\/p>\n \nObserving the surface of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, in visible light is difficult due to the globe-enshrouding haze<\/a> that envelops the moon. On 14 January 2005, the mystery as to what lay beneath the thick atmosphere was revealed as ESA’s Huygens probe – carried to Titan by Cassini – made the first successful landing<\/a> on a world in the outer Solar System. During the two-and-a-half hour descent under parachute, features that looked remarkably like shore lines and river systems<\/a> on Earth appeared from the haze. But rather than water, with surface temperatures of around –180ºC, the fluid involved here is methane, a simple organic compound that also contributes to the moon’s obscuring atmosphere.\n<\/p>\n \nThanks to Cassini, which studied Saturn and its rings and moons for thirteen years, Titan was extensively mapped and analysed. One result is this stunning sequence of images created using data acquired by Cassini’s Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS), whose infrared observations peered through Titan’s atmosphere, complementing the views obtained by Huygens during descent and on the surface. The maps combine data from the multitude of different observations made under a wide variety of illumination and viewing conditions over the course of the mission, stitched together in a seamless mosaic to provide the best representation of Titan’s surface to date.\n<\/p>\n \nThe colours reflect variations in materials on the moon’s surface. For example, the moon’s equatorial dune fields appear a consistent brown colour, while bluish and purple hues may indicate materials enriched in water ice. \n<\/p>\n \nThe image was first published in July 2018 – read more here<\/a> about how the image was created, and enjoy a video featuring further stunning visuals here<\/a>. The complete Cassini VIMS data archive of Saturn’s satellites is available here.<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n