![]() Note: This post highlights data from Webb science in progress, which has not yet been through the peer-review process. This will give scientists information about the complex gases in Titan’s atmosphere, as well as crucial clues to deciphering why Titan is the only moon in the Solar System with a dense atmosphere. Further Titan data are expected from NIRCam and NIRSpec as well as the first data from Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument ( MIRI) in May or June of 2023. The MIRI data will reveal an even greater part of Titan’s spectrum, including some wavelengths that have never before been seen. Scientists have waited for years to use Webb’s infrared vision to study Titan’s atmosphere, including its fascinating weather patterns and gaseous composition, and also see through the haze to study albedo features (bright and dark patches) on the surface. Its atmosphere is filled with thick haze that obscures visible light reflecting off the surface. NASA's twin Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft followed up with flybys nine months apart in 19. NASA's Pioneer 11 provided the first close look in September 1979. ![]() ![]() Unlike Earth, however, the liquid on Titan’s surface is composed of hydrocarbons including methane and ethane, not water. Exploration Galleries Four robotic spacecraft have visited Saturn. Titan is the only moon in the Solar System with a dense atmosphere, and it is also the only planetary body other than Earth that currently has rivers, lakes, and seas. Click here for an annotated version of this image. On June 25, 2023, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope turned to famed ringed world Saturn for its first near-infrared observations of the planet. The image on the right is a color composite image. ![]() The bright spots are prominent clouds in the northern hemisphere. This near-infrared James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) image of the Saturn system sheds light on the objects' composition: Saturn is. In this monochrome image, NIRCam filter F323N (3.23 microns) was color mapped with an orange hue. The image on the left uses a filter sensitive to Titan’s lower atmosphere. JWST's near-infrared camera captured this image of Saturn and some of its moons on June 25, 2023. These are images of Saturn’s moon Titan, captured by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam instrument on 4 November 2022. ![]()
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