Scientists noticed a strange shimmering spot on Titan, and it's the first evidence of rainfall in the Saturn moon's northern hemisphere
Reuters/NASA/JPL
- Astronomers noticed a glistening spot on Titan, one of Saturn's moons, that could indicate rainfall in the lunar satellite's northern hemisphere.
- The image was taken from the Cassini mission spacecraft, which entered Saturn's orbit in 2004.
- Rainfall has been observed from the moon's southern hemisphere, but this is the first time that rainfall was detected near its north pole.
- The rainfall may indicate that Titan has changing seasons similar to Earth's.
- Titan's year is the equivalent of 29.5 Earth years, so astronomers haven't studied its full seasonal cycle yet.
Scientists searching for signs of seasonal storms on Titan have finally found the smoking gun. A slick shimmer spotted on the north pole of the Saturnian moon is the first evidence of rainfall in the hemisphere - the start of summer in the north.
It's the evidence astronomers have been waiting years to see, since Cassini's arrival in Saturn's orbit all the way back in 2004.See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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