Methane Rain in Titan's Rivers

January 21, 2005

Images from the Huygens probe show that liquid methane flows through and into Titan's rivers, channels, lakes, springs, and other as-yet-undiscovered bodies of liquid. Titan is Saturn's largest moon, and the moon the Cassini-Huygens probe is inspecting.

The image (right) sent back from Titan via Huygens shows the terrain carved by the liquid methane. Deltas and rivers may be flowing with the substance.

The methane rain causes erosion to the planet's land surface, carving out features like rivers in which the liquid methane and possibly other fluids flow.