Can There Be Life In The Depths Of Titan Moon ?

 

There are more than 250 moons in our solar system. All planets except mercury and Venus have their own moons. Jupiter and Saturn have the largest number of moon on any other planets in our solar system.Jupiter has about 79 moons and Saturn has 82 moons. Of Saturn’s 82 moons, Titan has been the subject of much discussion since its discovery. Titan is the second largest moon in our solar system after Ganymede. 

Image source-google| image by Kelvinsong

Titan is the largest moon of Saturn moon. On Saturn and it is the most special natural satellite in the solar system. What makes it so special is its dense atmosphere and finding solid evidence of the existence of vast oceans and rivers on it. Hence, it also called planet like moon. Titan is larger than our Earth’s moon and is about 78% more massive than our moon.

WHO DISCOVER TITAN FIRST

On March 25, 1655 Dutch astronomers Christian Huygens first discovered Saturn’s largest moon Titan. Christian Huygens was a Dutch astronomer, Physicist, Mathematician and inverter. He was born on April 14, 1629 in The Hague, Netherlands.

 He was the first to invent the pendulum clock. In addition to the titan, he discovered the Orion Nebula in the constellation Orion. The name titan is derived from Greek Mythology. This was one of his great discoveries.

But at the time he had no idea what was going on. But in 1944, when Gerard Kuiper studied the titan, he discovered that it had its own dense atmosphere. There are lakes, rivers and vast oceans. Only then did titan moon make headlines. Thus began the search for the possibility of life on it. In addition, images from voyages 1 aroused the curiosity of scientist.

Gerard Kuiper’s statement proved to be absolutely correct.  But the liquid rivers is flowing and it quite possible that life is flourishing somewhere in the hydrocarbon lakes. What we found from earth is that life find a way to move forward even in the harshest of environment. We have found that many creatures survive in cold icy desert like Antarctica and even survive long enough in space. So why can’t life be possible on the Titan moon. Maybe there are also micro-organisms. But it will be very different from earth.

MISSIONS

So in 1997 the Cassini Huygens spacecraft was launched to Saturn by N.A.S.A. and E.S.A. The Cassini Huygens spacecraft set out on a seven-year journey to reach Saturn. Even before this Pioneer 11 spacecraft had also studied Saturn. The purpose was to study Saturn and its moon Titan in depth.

There was also a lander named Huygens in Cassini spacecraft that was about to land on Titan. This Mission was of a great significance to human civilization because it was the first time we had landed on the moon of a distance planet.

SURFACE AND ATMOSPHERE

Voyagers 1 and Cassini Huygens revealed a lot about Titan. The radius of the titan is 2,5747 km. Gravity here is much lower than our earth. The temperature on titan remains -179 Degree Celsius forever. It takes 16 earth days to orbit Saturn. This is a tidal lock with Saturn.

It takes a total 80 minutes for sunlight to reach the titan. Because it is located at a distance of 9.2 AU (astronomical unit) from the sun. Therefore, its surface is always covered with dense clouds. There is no oxygen at all in its atmosphere, there is nitrogen gas. Its atmosphere consists mostly of nitrogen 1.5% Methane and 1.0% hydrogen gas.

That is four times more than the earth. Like the earth, it receives rain. There are also rivers and seas. There are thousands of lakes on titan. The largest river discovered on it is about 300 km long. But there is big different between titan and earth that there is no water at all. It has many chemical activities going on all the time.  

                                                        Image source-google| image From Rawpixel

Everything we see on it as a liquid is Methane and Ethane. The information from Cassini Huygens showed that all the water that was in low temperature had solidified completely. Like earth, titan has concentration of nitrogen gas. We can expect Micro life in its liquid methane rivers.There are also volcanos on it. Volcano activity is also quite different.

But these volcanoes do not erupt lava but ice. In fact, this is a mixture of water ammonia and methane. This is why they are also called icy volcanoes. All that is needed is to know it in depth. Titan also has a greenhouse effect on such a dense atmosphere, but the temperature is still so low. This is because they reflect sunlight.

The life we are looking for in the deepest space may be in our own solar system. Life on earth began with water, but there is no water on titan. All the water that is existed is in the form of solid rocks at low temperatures. So life is on titan is probably thriving on liquid methane.

Titan has many secrets hidden under its dense atmosphere and is ready to surprise us even more. So far is no evidence of life titan has been found. Titan’s hydrocarbon lakes are is themselves vast reserves of natural gas.

There are innumerable rivers of methane and ethane flowing here. The amount of natural gas on earth is nothing compared to titan’s reserves. We have only just begun to know about the titan. This can be very helpful for us in the future. Methane and ethane can be used as fuel in many ways. But it still seen impossible for us to do so.

Human settlement on titan may be possible in the future. But the biggest problem is the very low temperature and low surface gravitational force and water problems. When our sun is in its last days, it will be turned into a red supergiant star.

Then the earth will no longer be habitable. Then we can choose to stay titan. The sun will get so big and it will start to heat up titan .As the temperature rises, the frozen ice may begin to melt .That would probably be enough to live on.

We get so busy with our daily chores and thinks that we don’t even realize what’s going on in space above the sky .But when you start learning about space, it makes you think deeply.