Titan, Prototype Early Earth

Titan, the Earth Prototype Early Childhood | HOW topographic features in the beginning of his birth? The answer to that question will help us to understand the origin of the emergence of life on this blue planet. Especially up |now, only the earth was habitable planet.

It did not need to make elaborate experiments in the laboratory to determine the condition of the Earth at the toddler age. Spacecraft Voyager 1 in 1980 has informed the atmospheric conditions one natural satellite of Saturn, the Titan, which is thought to resemble Earth first. When orbiting at an altitude of 4000 km above Titan's atmosphere known how active the second largest natural satellite in the Solar System.

Titan is one of the favorite sky objects for further inspection after Europa, Jupiter's moons, which is known to have oceans of water beneath the icy surface.

1994 Hubble Space Telescope image recording Titan, showing the "continent" of the bright appearance. However, Hubble has not been able to prove the existence of "ocean" water.

Cassini-Huygens mission visit there is expected to provide new insights on the satellite. Spacecraft are expected to start in July 2004 were in the orbit of Saturn, bringing the instrument to inform the characteristics of Titan.

During a dozen times orbiting Titan, Cassini will map Titan's atmosphere and collect data. The same time, Huygens parachuted through the atmosphere and will analyze its elements. Hopefully, the information gathered both rides that can provide important insight about the Earth. Ranging from "How do planets form?" to "Where did humans come from?".

Month-atmosphere thick
Titan was discovered by Dutch astronomer, Christiaan Huygens, 1655. He is the largest satellite of Saturn orbiting satellites 31. Half of which is composed by ice and half rocky material. Layers of rocks are in the center of the satellite to a radius of 1,700 km. On top of the rock there is a layer of ice crystals to the surface of the satellite radius of 2,575 km.

Titan is larger than Mercury and the Moon. For natural satellites, only satellite Ganymede-Jupiter-the larger diameter: 112 km.

Titan massless hundred thousandth of the mass of Earth and is 1.2 million km from Saturn, or three times the distance of the Moon to the Earth. 1.6 times Earth's atmospheric pressure, as the pressure on the ground floor of the pool.

Titan is very attractive interest astronomers because it is the only natural satellite in the solar system known to have clouds as thick as 300 miles, and resembles the mysterious planet's atmosphere. The composition of the atmosphere is dominated by nitrogen, the same as the Earth right now, but mostly composed of chemical compounds contained in the fog-smoke like ethane and methane.

The atmosphere is so thick coating that produces a liquid like gasoline rain. While oxygen is frozen in the form of water ice on its surface. Chemical composition that is the biggest goal of research because of the possibility composed of several compounds that are in Earth's primordial atmosphere. The content of organic chemical compounds found in the environment indicates that Titan allows the emergence of a form of life.

However, the surface temperature of Titan is currently so low minus 178 degrees Celsius, only 4 degrees above the saturation point of methane, by the distance from the Sun. Although this low temperature is less possible emergence of life, there is the view that life forms still likely to arise in hydrocarbon lakes are warm due to internal heating of Titan. If Titan will prove not to have life forms as expected, then the understanding of the chemical interactions in situ would help people understand the environment of the early Earth.

Titan-one-half times the size of the Moon-orbiting Saturn for 16 days. The speed of rotation, which is circling its own axis, 16 days as well. That is, the speed of rotation and orbit of Titan are the same. So, suppose that we exist on Saturn, it is seen only half of the Titan alone. This condition is exactly the same as if you look at the Moon from Earth. Only six times the velocity of motion of the Moon Titan. Because the gravitational pressure is very large, the satellite center is still hot. Just like the planet Earth with the very hot core.

Experiments in the observatory
Observations of Titan's surface is very difficult because of the thick layer of the atmosphere. Depth of the atmosphere can only be observed at radio wavelengths, only a portion of the infrared wavelength range and can not be observed at visual wavelengths. Therefore, the satellite is still little information even though studies have been conducted over the past two decades.

During that time, speculation has arisen solar ultraviolet radiation interaction with methane are in the top layers of Titan's atmosphere. Reactions resulting in the formation of photochemical smog and rain eventually resulted in a hydrocarbon liquid and solid form in bulk.

Recent discoveries by Titan conditions diameter giant radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory 305 m, Brazil, triggering allegations in the form of liquid hydrocarbon lakes. It is based on the reflection that can only be done by a flat surface. The results published in the journal Science October 2, 2003.

Experiments conducted in November and December 2001 and 2002. Radar signals emitted into Titan and returned to Earth for 2, 25 hours. Arecibo Observatory is operated at a wavelength of 13 cm (2,380 MHz) with power close to 1 megawatt (1,000 equivalent electric heater). Apart Telescope Arecibo telescope simultaneously used also Robert C. Byrd Green Bank 100 m to receive reflections.

Apparently, the radar signals reflected from the surface of Titan which is a liquid such as sunlight that falls on the Earth's oceans. Although the subsurface of Titan intangible ice (water ice), complex chemical reactions in the atmosphere produces ethane, methane liquid, and solid hydrocarbons, which cover most of the surface of Titan ice. A few years ago has made made a similar hydrocarbon solid hydrocarbon Titan, the Titan tholin, in a laboratory by a team led by Carl Sagan, astronomer charismatic of Cornell University.

Finally, through the Cassini-Huygens mission, complete information about the nature of the mysterious satellite that will soon be obtained. Big questions such as at the outset will not be too long to be answered. Understanding the emergence of life and the beginning of the early history of the Earth, hopefully making the wise man maintain and preserve life on this blue planet.