NASA announces their most recent project, a mission to study the strong organic world of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon as well as the second-biggest moon in the solar system also being larger than the planet Mercury. What makes this plant so special is that it’s the only world in the solar system that has a similar ecosystem to Earth.
The ecosystem on Titan produces clouds that form rain creating a source of water through a series of streams and rivers that run into lakes and seas. Another similarity to Earth is that Titan’s atmosphere is primarily nitrogen with methane and ethane, forming a dense hydrocarbon haze high in the moon stratosphere that is destroyed by sunlight that is similar to the early structure of the Earth. Studying this atmosphere can also give scientists a chance to study how early life thrived on Earth.
Though it is similar to Earth’s hydrological cycle, Titan actually has a hydrocarbon cycle producing rain consisting of methane and ether. On Titan, temperatures can be so cold that water freezes into bedrock.
For more on the discoveries of Titan along with more news, check out the video above.
