Image from 2022 using infrared imaging with the goal of spotting clouds on Titan. The white spot that looks like a bubble reflection on the upper right of the image (1 o’clock?) is a cloud.
This is not true color, but colors assigned to different the wavelengths that we otherwise cannot see. Visible light would not have allowed imaging deep enough into the atmosphere to see clouds.
A clearer picture, for those interested:
http://annesastronomynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Titan.jpg
From the source:
Titan is the only object other than Earth where liquid hydrocarbon lakes and seas have actually been found (by Cassini) in its polar regions – in abundance in the north polar region and at least one of approximately 20,000 km2, called Ontario Lacus, on its south pole. Just recently, there have also been long-standing methane lakes, or puddles, in Titan’s “tropics” discovered.
Titan is the only object other than Earth where liquid hydrocarbon lakes and seas
The US would like to know your location
For some reason, there are terrorists on Titan. The USA is preparing the Space Marines
Titan is small, and distant, when compared to the photo in the thread.
The photo in this thread is by Cassini, which was at least a thousand of times closer. Titan is 1.2 million KM from Saturn, which Cassini was orbiting, while Earth, which JWST “orbits” is at least 1.2 billion KM from Saturn.
With its liquids (both surface and subsurface) and robust nitrogen atmosphere, Titan’s methane cycle bears a striking similarity to Earth’s water cycle, albeit at the much lower temperature of about 94 K (−179 °C; −290 °F).
That’s way too cold in my opinion!
Well, are they gonna let it out before Saturn notices its missing??? Saturn’s a big planet, I hope it doesn’t notice
I can’t wait for the conspiracy theorists to say it has water oceans.
Isn’t that an actual scientific theory about it? That it could have an ocean of liquid water under the surface of ice? Maybe I’m thinking of a different moon…
That’s Europa. The thinking is that Europa may have life in its oceans beneath the ice that feed off of geothermal vents and therefore don’t require any sunlight.
Almost looks like earth but with more land than water.
In infrared. Titan basically looks like a brownish grey blob to the naked eye due to its incredibly dense atmosphere.
Knowing it’s just color shifted makes me wonder if that white band in the upper right that looks like a reflection off the atmosphere is actually a reflection off the atmosphere. And also what method of color shifting was used. Are the colors representative of anything or did they just pick what made for the best photo?
They basically remap wavelengths, so yes, absolutely those would be representative of real features, either in the atmosphere or on the ground.
That said, absolutely, sometimes there’s a bit of artistic license in how the wavelengths are mapped.
Edit: the space.com article on the image describes some of the physical features depicted:
https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-saturn-moon-titan