土星前方的土卫六

2022年5月27日

Titan: Moon over Saturn
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Space Science Institute

Explanation: Like Earth’s moon, Saturn’s largest moon Titan is locked in synchronous rotation. This mosaic of images recorded by the Cassini spacecraft in May of 2012 shows its anti-Saturn side, the side always facing away from the ringed gas giant. The only moon in the solar system with a dense atmosphere, Titan is the only solar system world besides Earth known to have standing bodies of liquid on its surface and an earthlike cycle of liquid rain and evaporation. Its high altitude layer of atmospheric haze is evident in the Cassini view of the 5,000 kilometer diameter moon over Saturn’s rings and cloud tops. Near center is the dark dune-filled region known as Shangri-La. The Cassini-delivered Huygens probe rests below and left of center, after the most distant landing for a spacecraft from Earth.

Tomorrow’s picture: light-weekend

土星前方的土卫六
影像提供: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Space Science Institute

说明: 类似地球的月亮，土星最大的卫星土卫六也是受到锁定在进行同步自转。这张由卡西尼号太空船在2012年拍摄的照片拼接而成的组合影像，呈现了土卫六永远背向这颗环系气态巨行星那面的景观。土卫六是太阳系天体中唯一拥有厚重大气的卫星，也是太阳系除了地球之外，现知表面有经常性液体湖泊和类似地球的液体降雨和蒸发循环之天体。在这张呈现5,000公里直径土卫六、悬在土星环系和云顶上方的影像里，其高层的霾云清楚可辨。其中，土卫六中心附近 的暗色丘陵区名为”香格里拉”。卡西尼号携带的惠更斯号探测器，在进行离地球最远距的太空船着陆之后，长眠在中左下方的区域。

明日的图片: light-weekend