The weather is finally changing on Titan
New Cassini images of Titan have spotted the appearance of clouds above the planet’s northern seas, suggesting the overdue onset of the summer storms that climate models have predicted.
For several years after Cassini’s 2004 arrival in the Saturn system, scientists frequently observed cloud activity near Titan’s south pole, which was experiencing late summer at the time. Clouds continued to be observed as spring came to Titan’s northern hemisphere. But since a huge storm swept across the icy moon’s low latitudes in late 2010, only a few small clouds have been observed anywhere on the icy moon. The lack of cloud activity has surprised researchers, as computer simulations of Titan’s atmospheric circulation predicted that clouds would increase in the north as summer approached, bringing increasingly warm temperatures to the atmosphere there.
“We’re eager to find out if the clouds’ appearance signals the beginning of summer weather patterns, or if it is an isolated occurrence,” said Elizabeth Turtle, a Cassini imaging team associate at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab in Laurel, Maryland. “Also, how are the clouds related to the seas? Did Cassini just happen catch them over the seas, or do they form there preferentially?”
Any conclusions drawn at this time about the seasonal weather patterns of Titan must be considered highly uncertain, since we only have been observing the planet for a period that only covers one very short portion of its very long 30 year-long year.
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New Cassini images of Titan have spotted the appearance of clouds above the planet’s northern seas, suggesting the overdue onset of the summer storms that climate models have predicted.
For several years after Cassini’s 2004 arrival in the Saturn system, scientists frequently observed cloud activity near Titan’s south pole, which was experiencing late summer at the time. Clouds continued to be observed as spring came to Titan’s northern hemisphere. But since a huge storm swept across the icy moon’s low latitudes in late 2010, only a few small clouds have been observed anywhere on the icy moon. The lack of cloud activity has surprised researchers, as computer simulations of Titan’s atmospheric circulation predicted that clouds would increase in the north as summer approached, bringing increasingly warm temperatures to the atmosphere there.
“We’re eager to find out if the clouds’ appearance signals the beginning of summer weather patterns, or if it is an isolated occurrence,” said Elizabeth Turtle, a Cassini imaging team associate at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab in Laurel, Maryland. “Also, how are the clouds related to the seas? Did Cassini just happen catch them over the seas, or do they form there preferentially?”
Any conclusions drawn at this time about the seasonal weather patterns of Titan must be considered highly uncertain, since we only have been observing the planet for a period that only covers one very short portion of its very long 30 year-long year.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
“New Cassini images of Titan have spotted the appearance of clouds above the ‘PLANET’S’ northern seas”?
Thought it was a moon, not a planet
Yes it is a moon, but it is as large as some planets, and the scientists who study these kinds of gigantic moons, who are called planetary geologists, often call them planets in conversation.
I used the word planet here intentionally, because it highlights the absurdity of the present definition of planets imposed by the IAU against the will of most scientists.
“. . . planetary geologists, often call them planets in conversation.”
A. Lincoln: “How many legs has a dog?”
A. Foil: “Four”
A. Lincoln: “And if you call his tail a leg?”
A. Foil: “Why, five, of course.”
A. Lincoln: “You are incorrect, sir. Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it one.”
And conversely, deciding that the two rear legs shouldn’t be called legs because they aren’t exactly the same shape as the front legs doesn’t make them non-legs. They are legs nonetheless.
The definition of “planet” as determined by the IAU has been strongly panned by most planetary scientists that I’ve spoken to. To them, a planet is any object large enough that gravity forces it into a spherical shape.
Robert, we could bandy semantics all day long (and, I think, enjoy the exercise), but in the interests of clarification (the first rule of writing), a planet should be an object large enough to form a spherical shape, and orbit a star as it’s primary.
That’s a reasonable definition. It is not the one the IAU imposed. I prefer leaving out the question of where the planet orbits, as we have now found exoplanets that don’t orbit stars. Moreover, many moons are as large if not larger than some star-orbiting planets.
To me, a moon can be a planet. The key is the object’s size.
It appears we are at an impasse. My concern is with function, while yours appears to be with form. Contrary to pop culture, in this case, I don’t believe that size matters. I look forward to a spirited debate, should we meet.
We really need a new word for what people naturally mean when they say “planet”. Now that phenomena is divided into planets, moons (Titan), dwarf planets (Pluto) and asteroids (Ceres). There are two dimensions here. One is how the object moves. The other is what the object is like.
I have to say it. I can’t help myself…..
Global warming did it.
Ohh I feel so much better now. Thanks.
How about “Captive Planet” for planet-sized moons?
Regardless – this is a great site – one of my “go to’s”