Skip to Content
Space

NASA’s Cassini probe has discovered deep lakes on Saturn’s moon Titan

April 17, 2019

The NASA probe found that Saturn’s largest moon has small, deep lakes filled with methane.

Some background: Titan is the only known body in our solar system other than Earth with a liquid on its surface. But rather than a water cycle, it has a methane and ethane cycle.

The news: Researchers used radar data collected during one of Cassini’s fly-bys in 2017. The team discovered that in addition to the known larger northern seas, the moon’s smaller lakes are also filled with methane, and at least one is more than 100 meters (~330 feet) deep. The team also found “phantom lakes” that fill and empty periodically.

Another surprise was finding that these smaller lakes are found at high elevations on top of hills and plateaus. “Every time we make discoveries on Titan, Titan becomes more and more mysterious,” said lead author Marco Mastrogiuseppe in a press release. “But these new measurements help give an answer to a few key questions. We can actually now better understand the hydrology of Titan.” The research was published in Nature Astronomy on Monday.

What it means: The odd shape and depth of the lakes are providing evidence that they may have formed when bedrock made of ice and solid organics chemically dissolved and collapsed.

Want to keep up to date with space tech news? Sign up for our space newsletter, The Airlock.

Deep Dive

Space

How to safely watch and photograph the total solar eclipse

The solar eclipse this Monday, April 8, will be visible to millions. Here’s how to make the most of your experience.

How scientists are using quantum squeezing to push the limits of their sensors

Fuzziness may rule the quantum realm, but it can be manipulated to our advantage.

The great commercial takeover of low Earth orbit

Axiom Space and other companies are betting they can build private structures to replace the International Space Station.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.