Dust Storms on Titan Options

[wildespace]

Dust storms on Titan spotted for the first time: NASA.

Data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft has revealed what appear to be giant dust storms in equatorial regions of Saturn's moon Titan. The discovery, described in a paper published on Sept. 24 in Nature Geoscience, makes Titan the third Solar System body, in addition to Earth and Mars, where dust storms have been observed.

It seems like the dust and "sand" from the hydrocarbon dunes at the equator can be kicked up by strong winds, which would then transport it over great distances.



Question regarding the above illustration: would Saturn be at all visible from Titan's surface? I was under the impression that Titan's atmosphere is completely opaque.

[ngunn]

Fascinating stuff, thanks for posting the link. It certainly sets the imagination going. I wonder if material suspended in Titan's surface liquids might fluoresce also, perhaps in response to fluvial, tidal or wave motion?

[JRehling]

Fascinating stuff, thanks for posting the link. It certainly sets the imagination going. I wonder if material suspended in Titan's surface liquids might fluoresce also, perhaps in response to fluvial, tidal or wave motion?

Fluorescence is due to higher-energy/shorter-wavelength photons being downshifted to >1 photons at lower energy being absorbed. There is also triboluminescence caused by high physical stress on solids, which you can see by biting into mint Lifesavers in a dark room (they flash, softly). I don't think tides or waves would generate sufficient force to do that, but I also wouldn't count on Titan failing to surprise us.