Image 4-23
Surface of an Alien Moon

This image was captured by the European Space Agency's Huygens probe as it descended toward the surface of Saturn's moon Titan on January 14, 2005. They Huygens probe was delivered to Saturn aboard NASA's Cassini spacecraft. The image shows hills and valleys covering the surface of the giant moon. Huygens later landed on the surface, where it photographed rounded rocks and pebbles that appeared to have been eroded by liquid. Infrared images of Titan's surface revealed liquid hydrocarbon lakes and rivers, most likely composed of liquid methane and ethane.