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Science & Technology

Mysterious feature on Saturn's moon baffles NASA scientists

2014-10-01

NASA's Cassini spacecraft has discovered a "mysterious feature" on Saturn's moon Titan. Scientists are working to determine, what, exactly, this feature might be.

NASA reports that the feature is roughly 100 square miles, and it lies in Ligeia Mare, one of Titan's hydrocarbon seas. Cassini's radar has observed the feature twice, but its appearance changed between the two sightings. Scientists suspect the feature's change in appearance could be the result of Titan's changing seasons, which Cassini's current extended mission will monitor.

The feature's first sighting was in July 2013, and the radar images depicted a bright spot, which stood out from the dark sea. Scientists were "perplexed" when the feature couldn't be located with follow-up radar experiments, but they found it again on August 21, 2014.

Posted by:Crager Barnsmell2947

#6 It must be caused by Mann made global warming.

Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2014-10-01 16:23

#5 Could have been some kind of underwater venting. A volcanic or gas plume that they were lucky to be around to see.

Posted by: rjschwarz 2014-10-01 14:40

#4 It's Obama's foreign policy. It's either there or at the ring around Uranus.
(I couldn't stop myself.)

Posted by: ed in texas 2014-10-01 08:23

#3 Isn't NASA now in charge of Mooslim outreach? Is there a celestial Hajj connection? Incredible timing I'd say.

Posted by: Besoeker 2014-10-01 07:50

#2 Alien nanobots building a space port fot the invasion. HT Insty

Posted by: AlanC 2014-10-01 07:42

#1 The Lightbringer's 'missing' transcripts, perhaps? Blown around by the solar wind.....

Posted by: USN, Ret. 2014-10-01 01:32

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