New Images of Titan From JWST and Keck Telescopes Reveal a Rare Observation

Scientists have been looking forward to using the James Webb Space Telescope to study the moon. The results are amazing after a long wait. Some strange features in the new images were helped to be understood by one of its ground based observatory friends. Clouds are a rare event on Titan.

The white areas near the top of Titan are probably made from methane. There are lakes made of liquid hydrocarbons in the northern part of Titan.

The moon is covered by the nitrogen-rich atmosphere which is 50% denser than Earth's atmosphere. Astronomers have figured out ingenious ways to see through the atmosphere and even down to the surface, where they can see features like dunes. According to planetary scientist Sarah Hrst, it is rare for clouds to be detected in Titan's atmosphere.

It's amazing to see them at the first time.

The image was taken on November 4. When the data arrived to Earth, Rodriguez sent an email to the rest of the team, notifying them that he had seen the new images.

This morning was a wake-up call. There are a lot of notifications in my mailbox. The data was downloaded from my computer at once. It is amazing at first glance. I think we're seeing something. The association of universities for research in astronomy had a similar reaction from the lead of the project. The cloud and albedo markings make me happy. I'm looking forward to the spectrum. All the best, all the time. I would like to thank you.

The team called in colleagues at the telescope to do follow-up observations. The same clouds were seen in a series of images taken about 30 and 54 hours after the telescope showed them.

Imke de Pater, a UC Berkeley Professor of the Graduate, said there were clouds at the same positions, looking like they might have changed in shape.

The clouds seen on November 4 may not be the same as the ones seen on November 7 because clouds are not long- lasting.

Titan is the only moon in the Solar System with a dense atmosphere and the only planetary body other than Earth that has surface features. The liquid on Titan is made up of methane and ethane not water.

Astronomers will be able to understand the weather patterns on Titan thanks to the new and continued observations of Titan. The upcoming mission to this moon will provide more insight. The habitability of the environment will be assessed by the multi-rotor lander.

Sarah Hrst has a great thread on the subject of how clouds were first seen on the moon, and how astronomy uses every trick the book has to offer.

The observations that the science team used to study Titan are still a work in progress and the team stressed their work has not yet been peer reviewed.