Saturn is attended by a system of 56 known moons and bright, beautiful

rings. The Moon system is the focus of our attention today. Saturn has

one giant moon, Titan, which is the 2nd largest moon in the Solar

System, and the only one with a heavy atmosphere. On Titan, the

atmosphere is mostly nitrogen and methane, but the temperature and

pressure are such that methane plays the same role that water plays on

the Earth: it can be either a solid, gas, or liquid. I will review

tantalizing evidence from the Cassini and Huygens probes that there is,

in fact, liquid methane and maybe even liquid methane lakes on Titan.

Most of the other moons are ancient, icy, and heavily cratered -

geologically dead worlds - but one, Enceladus, is a big surprise. The

shiniest object in the Solar System, Enceladus has spectacular fountains

- cryovolcanos - that spew water vapor from reservoirs created in its

tidally-heated interior. This ice repaves much of the surface of

Enceladus, giving it a young, shiny surface, and builds the E ring of

Saturn. Recorded 2006 Nov 21 in 100 Stillman Hall on the Columbus

campus of The Ohio State University.

Podden och tillhörande omslagsbild på den här sidan tillhör Richard Pogge. Innehållet i podden är skapat av Richard Pogge och inte av, eller tillsammans med, Poddtoppen.