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Titan's Alien Thunder

An anonymous reader writes "What is not being reported much about the fascinating Huygens descent to the surface of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is its remarkable microphone. In the silence of space, the probe offers a platform for listening to alien thunder while watching the lightning strike on this alien world--the only moon with an atmosphere thicker than our terrestrial one. The probe detaches from Cassini on Christmas for its atmospheric entry on 14 January 2005. The landing target on Titan borders a bright-dark region thought to be an oil-rich shoreline. Huygens can float for a few hours while still broadcasting if it lands in a lake of oil."

3 of 222 comments (clear)

  1. environmental disaster by Trailer+Trash · · Score: 0, Redundant

    A lake of oil? Sounds like Capt. Hazelwood may have beat us there...

  2. Re:Alien thunder by phobos13013 · · Score: 0, Redundant

    No, No, No!

    The MOON around URANUS is TITAN....

    god that is the funniest statement ever!

    --
    ...and it should be known by now
  3. Huygens enters atmo on Jan 14, released on Dec 25 by srstoneb · · Score: 0, Redundant
    The probe detaches from Cassini on Christmas for its atmospheric entry on 14 January 2005.

    As the Cassini-Huygens website clearly explains, the Huygens probe will be released from Cassini on Dec 25. It will enter Titan's atmosphere on January 14, but it will have already been released three weeks prior.

    A minor error, I guess, but I keep seeing it made.