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Best Images Yet Of Saturn's Moon Titan

Posted by timothy on from the spaceporn dept.

DoraLives writes "During recent commissioning observations of a new instrument designed for a completely different purpose, the European Southern Observatory managed to grab the best imagery yet of Saturn's largest moon. Although the imagery bears more than just a passing resemblance to some of the quainter maps of other planets there's no denying the superb, sub tenth arcsecond, resolution of the new images. And of course, if that's not good enough, they're sending a a little something to land on Titan next January. Should be interesting."

12 of 156 comments (clear)

  1. Mandatory 2001/2010 Joke by BuddieFox · · Score: 5, Funny

    they're sending a a little something to land on Titan next January.

    Well, we should be glad they are not attempting to land on Europa.

  2. I wonder... by Op7imus_Prim3 · · Score: 5, Funny

    How many posts till somebody mentions new pictures of Uranus and links to goatse?

    --
    EGG, the Electronic Gamers Guild
  3. Re:This just in... by Nom+du+Keyboard · · Score: 4, Funny
    Jesse Jackson offers his services to negotiate a peace treaty between the microbes on Titan and the humans on Earth.

    Great! Send him!

    --
    "It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
  4. Provisional Names! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    the SDI team [1] has referred to these features informally as: the "lying H", the "dog" chasing a "ball", and the "dragon's head".

    I propose some other provisional names:

    • Blobby bit
    • Other blobby bit
    • Fuzzy Stuff
    • More Fuzzy stuff that looks like a little like a boob.
    I think these give a better description of the so-called features.
  5. Just a little bit more resolution by Nom+du+Keyboard · · Score: 3, Funny

    Just a little bit more resolution, and you'll be able to read the sign in the lower right corner that states: PRIVATE PROPERTY - NO TRESSPASSING.

    --
    "It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
  6. Ahhh, but they will... by commodoresloat · · Score: 3, Funny

    And then I, for one, will welcome our European overlords!

  7. Simplify your friggin fractions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Mandatory 667/670 Joke.

  8. First comment from the scientists: by kekeruusperi · · Score: 5, Funny

    "That's no moon!"

  9. USA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    I don't see how the Europeans can name the features, when Titan is clearly the property of the US.

  10. Titan by lechuck80 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Better make sure that when they send the probe they include a hand crafted replacment part for Salo.

    --
    "Mr. President, we cannot allow a mineshaft gap!"
  11. Oil! Oil! Let's Go! by bbsguru · · Score: 5, Funny
    I can't beleive no one has posted this yet: The quoted article said:
    "Of particular interest are several large "dark" areas of uniformly low reflectivity. One possible interpretation is that they represent huge surface reservoirs of liquid hydrocarbons."
    It's Oil!

    I hereby claim this moon in the name of Texaco.

    If we can build a highway to get there, we'll be able to fill up and come back!

  12. Re:"Images" by piper-noiter · · Score: 3, Funny

    Huygens will take over 2,000 pictures (again, I don't remember the exact number) from the air of the surface of Titan. At that point in the show, I turned to my friend wispering, '2,000 desktops.' He called me a nerd.

    It does have a parachute, 2-3 depending on how you count. Now surviving the landing... thats a different story.

    --
    Shick's Law: There is no problem a good miracle can't solve.