This radar image of Titan shows a semi-circular feature that may be part
of an impact crater. Very few impact craters have been seen on Titan so
far, implying that the surface is young. Each new crater identified on
Titan helps scientists to constrain the age of the surface.
Taken by Cassini's radar mapper on Jan. 13, 2007, during a flyby of Titan,
the image swath revealed what appeared to be the northernmost half of an
impact crater. This crater is roughly 180 kilometers (110 miles) wide. Only
three impact craters have been identified on Titan and several others, like
this one, are likely to also have been caused by impact. The bright material
is interpreted to be part of the crater’s ejecta blanket, and is likely
topographically higher than the surrounding plains. The inner part of the
crater is dark, and may represent smooth deposits that have covered the
inside of the crater.
This image was taken in synthetic aperture mode and has a resolution of
approximately 350 meters (1,150 feet). North is toward the top left corner
of the image, which is approximately 240 kilometers (150 miles) wide by
140 kilometers (90 miles) high. The image is centered at about 26.5 degrees
north and 9 degrees west.
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European
Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages
the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The
Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar
instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with
team members from the United States and several European countries.
For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm.
