Astronomy Picture of the Day

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Northern Summer on Titan

Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA,NASA

Explanation

While yesterday's solstice brought summer to planet Earth's northern hemisphere, a northern summer solstice arrived for ringed planet Saturn nearly a month ago on May 24.

Following theSaturnian seasons, its large moon Titan was captured in this Cassini spacecraft image from June 9.

The near-infrared view finds bright methane clouds drifting through Titan's northern summer skies as seen from a distance of
about 507,000 kilometers.

Below Titan's clouds, dark hydrocarbon lakes sprawl near the large moon's now illuminated north pole.

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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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