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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."

4 of 104 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Titanurrito by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Oh ho ho! A fart joke! Never would I have seen that one coming! Can you do a uranus joke next! Those are so fucking funny! And nobody has ever done them before ever!

  2. Good job by Daetrin · · Score: 4, Insightful

    An article about astronomical observations of a gas and so far we've already got three fart jokes and one random insult. I see Slashdot is living up to form.

    (And what did Phil Plait ever do to you AC? Or do you have an irrational grudge against any scientists who actually tries to educate laypeople?)

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    1. Re:Good job by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      Phil Plait makes really stupid arguments when trying to disprove something he doesn't believe in. For example, his argument against astrology went along the lines of this: Astrology believes the alignment of planets provides energy that determines certain aspects of each person's life based on when they were born (sign, horoscope). However, because light travels at a finite rate, when it appears to us that the planets are in alignment, they are in fact no longer where they appear to be so there can't be energy given by alignments because the planets aren't actually where the appear to be. Simple question to that: Why would the energy of an alignment travel faster than light as his argument requires?

      Now, I think astrology is as hokey as the next science-minded person, but I'd rather our scientists be smart enough to know when their arguments are so stupid. I'd also like scientists who focus on, you know, science instead of engaging in arguments they cannot win yet believe they already have (religion).

  3. Re:Its a very convenient gas by thrich81 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Considering that Cassini is a WORKING orbiter around Saturn, a thing we are unlikely to see again in most of our lifetimes, I'm good with them funding the use of it as long as it keeps running, for no other reason than to keep looking for things it missed the first (or hundredth) time around. Same for any other working interplanetary spacecraft. If (and only if) someone can make the case that defunding Cassini will directly free up funding for the next probe to Saturn, then maybe, but I don't believe that will happen.