Titan Research Paper

Titan was discovered in 1655 by Dutch astronomer, Christiaan Huygens. It is named after the race of gods that used to rule the universe, before being overthrown by the Olympian Gods. It is Saturn’s biggest moon, and the second biggest moon in our solar system. Scientist speculate that Titan’s development imitates Earth’s early years in development, with the only difference being that Titan is farther away from the sun.

Titan is the only moon that has an atmosphere in our solar system.The atmosphere is composed of a concentration of 95% nitrogen and 5% methane, with traces of ammonia, argon, and ethane. Titan’s atmosphere is about 600 kilometers high, while Earth’s atmosphere only reaches around 16 kilometers from the surface. Titan experiences

Its bodies of liquid are made of water mixed with a salt that is composed of sulfur, sodium, and potassium, along with traces of ethane and methane. Titan has a seventh of Earth's gravitation force, and is half the size of Earth, at 5,150 kilometers in diameter. It has more pressure than Earth at 1.6 bars, as opposed to 1 bar on Earth. Titan’s surface features include mountains, lakes, oceans, and sand dunes. The mountains on Titan are only a few hundred yards high, but scientists have noticed that there is a lesser pull of gravity on top of the mountains. It is speculated that this is due to Titan’s rigid ice shell and small surface features that have large roots which extend to the ocean. These roots overwhelm the gravitational effect on small land features. Near Titan’s equator are sand dunes composed of solid hydrocarbons, and are more prominent in lower altitudes. These dunes are created by extremely strong rogue winds. These towering features, some going up to 300 ft high, have confounded scientists, mostly because these features form in the opposite direction of Titan’s east to west winds. Studies suggest that rare burst of wind blowing westward are responsible for the sand