Scientists have detected mysterious, gyroscopic motion within the atmosphere of Saturn’s moon Titan that appears to be completely independent from its surface rotation.
Scientists from the University of Bristol made the discovery while analyzing sensor data from the NASA-ESA Cassini-Huygens mission’s flyby of the Saturnian moon. The researchers say they cannot explain the mysterious motion, which seems connected to the moon’s seasons, each lasting several Earth years.
Titan has long fascinated scientists due to its similarities to Earth. Such features include its rocky surface, lakes and rivers of methane and ethane with ocean-like waves, and a thick, carbon-rich atmosphere (a rarity within the solar system).
The team behind the latest discovery says their findings join a growing body of research suggesting Titan is not just Earth-like in appearance, “but an alien world with climate systems all its own.”
To read more, click here.