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Published online 29 October 2004 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news041025-21

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Probe data reveal Titan's etched face

Cassini images suggest a surprisingly dynamic surface.

Scientists analysing data captured by the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft as it swept past Saturn's moon Titan, have described a cold landscape carved by winds and perhaps puddled with organic lakes.

The spacecraft grazed Titan's atmosphere on 26 October, allowing its instruments a first opportunity to penetrate the opaque orange smog smothering the moon and glimpse the surface below.

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