Alien electricity in Titan's atmosphere
ESApod, audio and video from space
English - June 01, 2007 10:00 - 4 minutes - 2.75 MB - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingScience Technology science ariane astronauts astronomy black hole comet earth envisat ers-2 ground station Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Since Huygens' January 2005 descent to Titan's surface, scientists have gained a new understanding of the Saturn moon's complex, 1300-km-thick atmosphere. Some of the most intriguing data returned by the HASI, or Huygens Atmospheric Structure Instrument, point to the possible existence of an electrical resonance effect, called Schumann resonance, on Titan. If confirmed, this would be the first such electrical field resonance seen outside our own planet. The effect may help scientists confirm whether an ocean of liquid water mixed with ammonia lies beneath Titan's surface. This week, scientists will present their latest results at the 42nd Cassini-Huygens Project Science Group Meeting in Athens, Greece. ESAPod interview with Dr Fernando Simoes.
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