Astronomy and space-exploration buffs in the audience (are there any?) might want to keep an eye on NASA’s Cassini-Huygens web site tonight, as the probe makes its first close-in flyby of Saturn’s moon Titan.
Titan is of special interest to scientists because of its thick atmosphere. No one has ever seen the surface before, but scientists speak of the possibility of icy mountain peaks, volcanos, rivers and lakes of ethane or methane, all covered with a cloudy atmosphere that occasionally rains down some kind of sticky tar-like substance… Yeah, well, don’t look at me—I’m just repeating what I’ve been told. 😛
Will Titan live up to expectations? We’ll know soon, I guess—the first pictures from the probe should be available around 9:00 tonight, so if you like that sort of thing, check it out!