Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2022 March 27
The surface of Titan would light up with a blinding flash. There is a sunglint from liquid seas. When the angle is right, the smooth lakes of methane on the moon reflect sunlight as if they were mirrors. The false-color image shows the cloud-covered Titan in a different band of cloud-piercing light. The reflection saturated one of the cameras. The sunglint was useful despite it being annoying. The reflecting regions confirm that northern Titan has a wide and complex array of seas with a geometry that indicates periods of significant evaporation. During its numerous passes of our Solar System's most mysterious moon, Cassini has revealed that it is a world with active weather, including times when it rains a liquefied version of natural gas.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman
Specific rights apply.
NASA Web
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A service of:
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GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2022 March 28
The closest star system to our Sun is Alpha Centauri, which is found in the southernmost part of the Milky Way. The Southern Cross is topped by a bright star. A line from the blue star at the bottom of the cross, Acrux, points to the south star, located just above the small island in the featured picture. The island of Madivaru is in the Indian Ocean. The dark Coal Sack Nebula lies just left of the cross and the bright stars Alpha Centauri and Hadar are farther left. 4.3 light-years away, is Alpha Centauri A, a Sun-like star anchoring a three-star system with exoplanets. Our own Sun is a bright yellow star in the constellation Cassiopeia.
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Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman
Specific rights apply.
NASA Web
Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of:
ASD at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.