James Webb managed to penetrate the atmosphere of Titan

Scientists together with astronomers of the Keck Observatory are investigating the formation and behavior of clouds of Saturn’s largest satellite.

The image on the left uses a filter that allows you to look beyond the lower layers of the atmosphere. Bright spots are clouds in the northern hemisphere.

On the right is a color composite image. Kraken Mare is a sea of methane, Belet is dark sand dunes, Adiri is an area with high reflectivity.

The two clouds seen by Webb confirm the theory that clouds form in the northern hemisphere at the end of summer when the Sun warms its surface. Subsequent observations by the Keck Observatory also revealed clouds confirming seasonal weather conditions.

Titan is a unique object of the Solar System. This is the only body other than the Earth on which there are rivers, lakes and seas. They do not consist of water, but of hydrocarbons such as ethane and methane. It is also the only satellite with a dense atmosphere.

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