Scientists Say Saturn Moon Like 'Early Earth'
Scientists believe they have located Earth's nearest likeness - circling Saturn as one of its moons.
Artist's concept of a methane rainstorm on Titan. (Pic: NASA/JPL)
Although it is millions of miles away from us, planet-sized Titan also has choking smog and flash floods - just like Earth.
"It really is surprising how closely Titan's surface resembles Earth's," said planetary geologist Rosaly Lopes, from Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in California.
"In fact, Titan looks more like the Earth than any other body in the solar system, despite the huge differences in temperature and other environmental conditions."
Dr Lopes announced the news at a Titan presentation at the the International Astronomical Union Assembly in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Scientists activated radar beams on Nasa's Cassini probe to see through the smoggy atmosphere and they have now mapped a third of Titan's surface.
Titan is one of the biggest moons in the solar system, larger than the planet Mercury and approaching Mars in size.
But despite an atmosphere hostile to humans, it is scattered with lakes, dunes, mountain ridges and possibly volcanoes.
Cassini has been probing Saturn and its moons for five years, as well as communicating with the European Space Agency's Huygens probe, which descended on Titan in 2005.
Read More @ SkyNews
Scientists believe they have located Earth's nearest likeness - circling Saturn as one of its moons.
Artist's concept of a methane rainstorm on Titan. (Pic: NASA/JPL)
Although it is millions of miles away from us, planet-sized Titan also has choking smog and flash floods - just like Earth.
"It really is surprising how closely Titan's surface resembles Earth's," said planetary geologist Rosaly Lopes, from Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in California.
"In fact, Titan looks more like the Earth than any other body in the solar system, despite the huge differences in temperature and other environmental conditions."
Dr Lopes announced the news at a Titan presentation at the the International Astronomical Union Assembly in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Scientists activated radar beams on Nasa's Cassini probe to see through the smoggy atmosphere and they have now mapped a third of Titan's surface.
Titan is one of the biggest moons in the solar system, larger than the planet Mercury and approaching Mars in size.
But despite an atmosphere hostile to humans, it is scattered with lakes, dunes, mountain ridges and possibly volcanoes.
Cassini has been probing Saturn and its moons for five years, as well as communicating with the European Space Agency's Huygens probe, which descended on Titan in 2005.
Read More @ SkyNews
