Announcing the first geological map on Saturn's Titan satellite

The map shows that the Titan has lots of plains and mounds, including frozen organic matter and many liquid methane reservoirs.

On October 19, scientists announced the first geological map on Saturn 's Titan satellite , with plains and mounds of frozen organic matter and liquid methane reservoirs, making unravel a novel world considered a "bright" candidate to study extraterrestrial life.

At 3,200 miles (5,150km) in diameter, Titan is the second largest satellite in the solar system, after Jupiter's Ganymede satellite, and bigger than Mercury.

Titan is also the only satellite known to have a dense atmosphere and is the only object, except the Earth, that has clear evidence of stable surface water bodies.

Organic matter - with a carbon component that is especially important for living things to thrive - plays a leading role on Titan.

Picture 1 of Announcing the first geological map on Saturn's Titan satellite
Image of Saturn and Titan satellite taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on August 31, 2012.(Photo: AFP / TTXVN).

Planetary geologist Rosaly Lopes, of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of NASA, based in California, said: "The organic matter is very important for life on Titan, which we believe is possible. contains an ocean of liquid water beneath the frozen surface. "

According to scientists, organic matter can seep into the ocean of liquid water and create nutrients necessary for life, if it exists in Titan.

On Earth, water falls from clouds and merges into rivers, lakes and flows into the oceans.

On Titan, clouds produce hydrocarbons such as methane and ethane - which are gases on Earth - in liquid form due to the satellite's cold temperatures.

Rain falls throughout Titan, but the equatorial regions are drier than the poles.

The plains (accounting for about 65% of Titan's surface area) and dunes (accounting for 17%) produce frozen methane plaques or other hydrocarbon plaques that are plentiful at medium altitudes and equatorial regions .

The midlands and mountains, thought to be the hardware of frozen water, account for 14% of the titanium surface.

The geological map, published in the daily newspaper Natura Astronomy, is based on radar, infrared and other data collected by the US space agency's Cassini spacecraft (NASA).

This vessel has conducted research on Saturn and its satellites from 2004-2017. The map was made seven years before NASA intended to launch the Dragonfly spacecraft to bring a mobile lander to study the chemical composition on Titan and the ability to survive.

According to the plan, Dragonfly started its mission of studying Titan in 2034.