Another day, another revolutionary disclosure.. UFO Blogger. Excerpts:
Now in latest development, according to NASA scientists believe they have found the strongest sign yet that Saturn's giant moon, Titan, may have a salty ocean beneath its chilly surface.
If confirmed, it would catapult Titan into an elite class of solar system moons harbouring water, an essential ingredient for life.
Titan boasts methane-filled seas at the poles and a possible lake near the equator.
And it's long been speculated that Titan contains a hidden liquid layer, based on mathematical modelling and electric field measurements made by the Huygens spacecraft that landed on the surface in 2005.
The latest evidence is still indirect, but outside scientists said it's probably the best that can be obtained short of sending a spacecraft to drill into the surface - a costly endeavor that won't happen anytime soon.
The research looks convincing, said Gabriel Tobie of France's University of Nantes.
"If the analysis is correct, this is a very important finding," Tobie said.
..
Titan is one of the few worlds in the solar system with a significant atmosphere, and the presence of an underground ocean could help explain how Titan replenishes methane in its hazy atmosphere.
Having an internal body of water would also make Titan an attractive place to study whether it would be capable of supporting microbial life.
Other moons on the shortlist: Jupiter's Europa, where an underground ocean is thought to exist and another Saturn moon, Enceladus, where jets have been seen spewing from the surface.
"Any environment that has liquid water needs to be investigated carefully," said planetary scientist Jean-Luc Margot of the University of California, Los Angeles, who had no role in the research.
Now in latest development, according to NASA scientists believe they have found the strongest sign yet that Saturn's giant moon, Titan, may have a salty ocean beneath its chilly surface.
If confirmed, it would catapult Titan into an elite class of solar system moons harbouring water, an essential ingredient for life.
Titan boasts methane-filled seas at the poles and a possible lake near the equator.
And it's long been speculated that Titan contains a hidden liquid layer, based on mathematical modelling and electric field measurements made by the Huygens spacecraft that landed on the surface in 2005.
The latest evidence is still indirect, but outside scientists said it's probably the best that can be obtained short of sending a spacecraft to drill into the surface - a costly endeavor that won't happen anytime soon.
The research looks convincing, said Gabriel Tobie of France's University of Nantes.
"If the analysis is correct, this is a very important finding," Tobie said.
..
Titan is one of the few worlds in the solar system with a significant atmosphere, and the presence of an underground ocean could help explain how Titan replenishes methane in its hazy atmosphere.
Having an internal body of water would also make Titan an attractive place to study whether it would be capable of supporting microbial life.
Other moons on the shortlist: Jupiter's Europa, where an underground ocean is thought to exist and another Saturn moon, Enceladus, where jets have been seen spewing from the surface.
"Any environment that has liquid water needs to be investigated carefully," said planetary scientist Jean-Luc Margot of the University of California, Los Angeles, who had no role in the research.
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