Image 4-22
Beneath the Clouds

This false-color composite of Saturn's moon Titan was created from images acquired by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. It was made by combining two separate infrared images. Infrared photography enabled Cassini to see beneath the thick clouds of Titan, revealing its surface features for the first time. Scientists had long speculated that Titan might have lakes of liquid methane on its surface. Cassini showed that these lakes did indeed exist. River channels were also seen, indicating that liquid methane regularly rains down on the surface of this unusual moon.