Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Mystery of Titan's Bizarre Giant Cloud

A huge arrow-shaped storm blows across the equatorial region of Titan in this image from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, chronicling the seasonal weather changes on Saturn's largest moon. 

The part of the storm that is visible here measures 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) in length east-to-west and 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) in length.

CREDIT: NASA/JPL/SSI

The mystery of a giant arrow-shaped cloud on Saturn's largest moon Titan may now be solved, a new study suggests.

The enigma was likely caused by a massive wave rippling through the moon's atmosphere.

The discovery could help scientists better understand similar phenomena on Earth, especially in light of changing global climate, researchers said.

NASA's Cassini spacecraft detected the cloud at Titan's equator in September 2010. The cloud is huge, with each side running about 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) long.

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