NASA's Cassini's spacecraft has made the amazing discovery of lakes on Saturn's moon Titan. Unlike the lakes we have here on Earth, these lakes found in the Arctic region of Titan, are most likely the source of hydrocarbon smog in the frigid moon's atmosphere. This discovery is a significant accomplishment for the Cassini mission as finding the source of the complex soup of hydrocarbons in Titan's atmosphere has been a major goal for the Cassini team. Numerous well-defined dark patches resembling lakes are present in radar images of Titan's high latitudes taken during a July 22 flyby. At Titan's frigid temperatures, about minus 180 degrees Celsius, the liquids in the lakes are most likely methane or a combination of methane and ethane. In the past, scientists had predicted but had no confirmation until now, that pools of liquid were contributing to the high concentration of methane and other hydrocarbons in Titan's atmosphere. Cassini's next flyby of Titan is on September 7.  In October, Cassini's radar will look even closer to the north pole, searching for more lakes and mapping more of the polar region covered by these features.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL

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