From over 1.5 million kilometers away, astronomers have spotted methane clouds drifting above the vast seas of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. Using the James Webb Space Telescope and confirmed by Keck Observatory in Hawaii, scientists captured bright, fluffy clouds hovering above Kraken Mare, Titan’s giant northern sea.
Despite being 1.4 billion kilometers from the Sun, Titan experiences a complete cycle of rain, rivers, and seas—but instead of water, it’s liquid methane and ethane! These new observations reveal active weather patterns, showing clouds forming, shifting, and evolving over just 30 hours.
This discovery highlights the power of teamwork between space- and ground-based telescopes, helping scientists refine climate models for this organic-rich, mysterious world. As future missions like Dragonfly prepare to explore Titan, tracking its clouds will be key to understanding its weather—and maybe even hints of habitability.
