Access
To read this story in full you will need to login or make a payment (see right).
Letter
Nature 454, 607-610 (31 July 2008) | doi:10.1038/nature07100; Received 28 February 2008; Accepted 19 May 2008
Open Innovation Challenges
-
Protect Enzyme from In Planta Degradation
A proposal for stable expression of an enzyme in corn seed is desired.
-
Efficient Chromosome Doubling: Plant Cell Division
The Seeker is looking for an efficient chromosome doubling method in plants and in particular, metho...
- More Challenges
- Powered by:
nature jobs
Researchers
- AIRC
- Milan, Italy
Animal Science Technician
- KSR
- Cincinnati, OH, USA
The identification of liquid ethane in Titan's Ontario Lacus
R. H. Brown1, L. A. Soderblom2, J. M. Soderblom1, R. N. Clark3, R. Jaumann4, J. W. Barnes5, C. Sotin6, B. Buratti6, K. H. Baines6 & P. D. Nicholson7
- Department of Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
- US Geological Survey, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001, USA
- US Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado 80225, USA
- Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, 12489 Berlin, Germany
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California 94035, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91107, USA
- Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
Correspondence to: R. H. Brown1 Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to R.H.B. (Email: rhb@lpl.arizona.edu).
Abstract
Titan was once thought to have global oceans of light hydrocarbons on its surface1, 2, 3, 4, 5, but after 40 close flybys of Titan by the Cassini spacecraft, it has become clear that no such oceans exist6. There are, however, features similar to terrestrial lakes and seas7, and widespread evidence for fluvial erosion8, 9, presumably driven by precipitation of liquid methane from Titan's dense, nitrogen-dominated atmosphere10. Here we report infrared spectroscopic data, obtained by the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer11 (VIMS) on board the Cassini spacecraft, that strongly indicate that ethane, probably in liquid solution with methane, nitrogen and other low-molecular-mass hydrocarbons, is contained within Titan's Ontario Lacus.
- Department of Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
- US Geological Survey, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001, USA
- US Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado 80225, USA
- Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, 12489 Berlin, Germany
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California 94035, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91107, USA
- Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
Correspondence to: R. H. Brown1 Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to R.H.B. (Email: rhb@lpl.arizona.edu).
To read this story in full you will need to login or make a payment (see right).
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.
NEWS AND VIEWS
Planetary science Organic lakes on TitanNature News and Views (31 Jul 2008)
Planetary science Shades of TitanNature News and Views (09 Jun 2005)
See all 12 matches for News And ViewsRESEARCH
Three-dimensional structure of bovine cytochrome bC 1 complex by electron cryomicroscopy and helical image reconstructionNature Structural Biology Article (01 Jun 1996)
Release of volatiles from a possible cryovolcano from near-infrared imaging of TitanNature Letters to Editor (09 Jun 2005)
See all 24 matches for Research