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Astronomers Probe Mysterious Gas In Titan's Atmosphere

Posted by samzenpus on from the up-in-the-air dept.

sciencehabit writes "A fluorescent glow high in the atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, signifies the presence of a gas that astronomers have yet to identify. The glow appears only on the daytime side of the moon at altitudes between 600 and 1250 kilometers, with the largest intensity occurring at an altitude of about 950 km. Detailed analyses reveal that the glow doesn't stem from a problem with the Saturn-orbiting Cassini craft, and it isn't associated with methane or any of the other hydrocarbons already identified as constituents of Titan's atmosphere."

2 of 104 comments (clear)

  1. Could be serioius by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 5, Funny

    So we have a planetoid enveloped in a vaporous cloud of mysterious matter, which is unknown to science.

    Well, I've seen enough old Star Trek episodes to know that it's almost certainly a malevolent disembodied life form, which was left imprisoned on that desolate moon eons ago to keep it from threatening other civilizations throughout the galaxy.

    Unfortunately, the Huygens probe has probably now provided it with the tools it needs to transport itself off the moon, most likely in a bid to attack and take over our planet Earth. Since it's probably invulnerable to any technology we posess, our only hope is to cleverly lure it into some kind of trap where it will destroy itself, most likely in a large explosion.

  2. Obligatory by M0j0_j0j0 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Pumbaa: Hey, Timon, ever wonder what those sparkly dots are up there?
    Timon: Pumbaa, I don't wonder; I know.
    Pumbaa: Oh. What are they?
    Timon: They're fireflies. Fireflies that, uh... got stuck up on that big bluish-black thing.
    Pumbaa: Oh, gee. I always thought they were balls of gas burning billions of miles away.
    Timon: Pumbaa, with you, everything's gas.