Pics of Titan

[M.D. Holloway]

From the NASA website:
This image was returned yesterday, January 14, 2005, by the European Space Agency's Huygens probe during its successful descent to land on Titan. This is the colored view, following processing to add reflection spectra data, and gives a better indication of the actual color of the surface.
Initially thought to be rocks or ice blocks, they are more pebble-sized. The two rock-like objects just below the middle of the image are about 15 centimeters (about 6 inches) (left) and 4 centimeters (about 1.5 inches) (center) across respectively, at a distance of about 85 centimeters (about 33 inches) from Huygens. The surface is darker than originally expected, consisting of a mixture of water and hydrocarbon ice. There is also evidence of erosion at the base of these objects, indicating possible fluvial activity. The image was taken with the Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer, one of two NASA instruments on the probe.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The Descent Imager/Spectral team is based at the University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm .

Credit: ESA/NASA/Univ. of Arizona

[kach22i]

Is it just me?

I see a fish-head.

[KNS]

I had heard this morning that if you look in the eastern sky after sunset, you will see three stars: Castor, Pollux (sp) and Saturn. Saturn is the lower of the three. They said if you look at Saturn with a good home telescpoe, you should be able to see Titan next to it.

[kach22i]

Looks a little like the cliffs of Dover without the hovercraft.

[kach22i]

Seriously, this rock is so freak'n different from the others....................a digital querk?

[dhoward]

Originally posted by kach22i
Looks a little like the cliffs of Dover without the hovercraft.

"There are eels in my hovercraft."

[ae1969]

Originally posted by kach22i
Seriously, this rock is so freak'n different from the others....................a digital querk?

Don't know about the fish head but the two big rocks next to it look like a couple of huge hamster nuts.

[M.D. Holloway]

Originally posted by kach22i
Seriously, this rock is so freak'n different from the others....................a digital querk?

The slice out of it looks like a pretty good precision cut?

They also hooked up a mic to record what the surface sounds like - I guess they are trying to hear thunder.

[mattdavis11]

Where's red ufo in times like these?

[beepbeep]

[mattdavis11]

Oh. Thanks bb