NASA has scheduled its Dragonfly rover to land on the surface of Saturn’s moon, Titan, in 2034. The spacecraft’s mission is to provide detailed images regarding Titan’s thick atmosphere, as well as its rivers, seas, lakes, and skies.
Titan is considered the most resourceful moon ever discovered, given the presence of liquid on its surface. However, its hydrosphere is slightly different from that on the Earth, since its lakes and rivers are not made out of liquid water, but of methane and ethane.
There are, of course, other similarities between Titan and the Earth. Last month, the researchers announced the presence of dust devils on the surface of the moon. The dust devils are rotating columns of air that occur on small surfaces when the area heats up.
Dust Devils on Titan
Because the hot air rises into the sky, it is trapped by wind, and this assembly creates a swirling column, which sweeps the dust and other particles along with it. On the Earth, the dust devils are very rare, and scientists have not conducted immersive research yet on this matter.
The last dust devil that was ever formed on our planet was back in 2014 in Brooklyn. The same phenomenon was spotted on Mars, as well during spring and summer, having up to 5 miles in height.
Up until now, no proper details are known about what is called the most impressive moon in our solar system. The scientist, Brian Jackson from the Boise State University, has declared that winds at the surface of Titan are not very powerful. However, he is stating that the dust devils on Titan may be the most crucial dust transport mechanism on the moon.
The dust devils are still a hypothesis, and scientists have decided to analyze the data from the Cassini mission on Titan’s surface. There are still pieces from the puzzle missing, and this is why the Dragonfly mission is highly awaited.
