These images show the surface of Titan at two different infrared wavelengths.
They were captured by the visual and infrared mapping spectrometer onboard
Cassini as the spacecraft flew by at an altitude of 1200 kilometers (745 miles) –
Cassini's closest approach yet to the hazy moon. The image on the left was
taken at a wavelength of 1 micron and shows approximately what a digital
camera might see. The image on the right, taken at a wavelength of 2 microns,
is the most detailed picture to date of the Titan's surface. It reveals complex
landforms with sharp boundaries, which scientists are eager to further study.
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 Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission
Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard
cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The visual and
infrared mapping spectrometer team is based at the University of Arizona,
Tucson.
For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit,
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov.
For more information about the visual and infrared mapping spectrometer
visit http://wwwvims.lpl.arizona.edu/.