Titan is one of the most fascinating destinations in the Solar System — and scientists just recreated its atmosphere here on Earth. Of all destinations in space that have captured astronomers' interest, Titan is one of the most fascinating. It's Saturn's largest moon, the second-largest natural satellite in the Solar System, and the only known moon with a dense atmosphere. While places such as Mars and Europa often dominate space conversation these days, Titan is every bit as interesting (if not more so).
Another critical element of Titan is that — outside of Earth — it's the only known moon/planet with bodies of liquid. Evidence shows Titan is filled with oceans, rivers, and even rain-filled clouds. They largely consist of methane and ethane, whereas Titan's subsurface houses a more familiar water ocean. This fascinating environment has led many to believe Titan could house possible signs of life, and to better understand that, scientists need a clearer understanding of Titan's atmosphere.
That's exactly what a group of researchers recently set out to do. As part of an experiment showcased during a meeting for the American Chemical Society (ACS), Titan's unique atmosphere was effectively recreated in small glass cylinders. Liquid water was placed in the cylinders, the researchers turned the temperature down to around -290°F (the known temperature on Titan), and then studied what happened. As expected, the results were nothing short of amazing.
What Researchers Discovered From This Titan Experiment
Two molecules appeared in the cylinders during the experiment — including acetonitrile and propionitrile. As researcher Tomče Runčevski describes, these molecules "occur predominantly in one crystalline form that creates highly polar nano surfaces, which could serve as templates for the self-assembly of other molecules of prebiotic interest." Acetonitrile and propionitrile are two molecules found during the Cassini mission that explored Saturn and its moons for 13 years, confirming this experiment successfully created Titan's atmosphere on Earth.
Additionally, this experiment also revealed new information about the two molecules that was previously unknown. Earth-like properties for acetonitrile and propionitrile are well understood, but how these things exist on Titan remained unclear. As Runčevski goes on to explain, "For example, we found that one crystalline form of PCN [propionitrile] does not expand uniformly along its three dimensions. Titan goes through temperature swings, and if the thermal expansion of the crystals is not uniform in all directions, it may cause the moon’s surface to crack."
Runčevski's next steps are to take the acetonitrile and propionitrile crystals created during the experiment and compare them to the 'spectral library' obtained during the Cassini mission. In doing so, scientists may develop a better understanding of Titan's surface and its exact mineral makeup. There's plenty left to learn about Titan's many mysteries, but this is a notable step in uncovering them.
Source: EurekAlert
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2021-08-27 16:53:00Z
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