Updated Titan Map |
Updated Titan Map |
Sep 9 2006, 09:46 PM
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#1
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1887 Joined: 20-November 04 From: Iowa Member No.: 110 |
I'm looking for a recent map ot Titan. Steve Albers's page links to one done by Fridger Schrempp in April 2005. Cassini has done a dozen flybys since then. Does anyone know if an updated map has been released.
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Jun 22 2007, 04:13 PM
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#2
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3419 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Minneapolis, MN, USA Member No.: 15 |
Interesting speculation, Mike. I see your point about the similarities between the Xanadu/Fensal-Quivra-Azltan construct and Mars' Tharsis bulge.
However -- just how efficiently could Titan shift its orientation when locked into a tidal resonance with Saturn? Mars spins very fast, relatively speaking, and has a whole lot more rotational energy with which to shift the entire planet onto its side (so to speak). Titan, in contrast, spins very slowly on its axis and has the very deep Saturnian gravity well to deal with. I'd almost believe that tidal attraction from Saturn would supply more energy to such a process than Titan's own rotational energy could provide. If Titan's mass was redistributed in a manner similar to what happened on Mars, I'd be willing to bet you'd see the thing reach an equilibrium with the "heaviest" part of the mass tidally locked, facing Saturn. Is that what we're seeing here? If not, I have to wonder a bit as to how the mechanism would work... -the other Doug -------------------- “The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.” -Mark Twain
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