Although most of the region observed by the Cassini radar instrument in
the February close flyby of Titan is very different from the regions
imaged in October, the area shown in this image appears quite similar.
Running about 300 kilometers (186 miles) from top to bottom, the image
shows a complex of bright hills and ridges surrounded by a dark plain.
In radar imaging, large dark expanses are either relatively smooth, or
absorb radio waves effectively, or both. Seen more faintly in the dark
plains are subtle features, the origins of which are unclear. These
features have some resemblance to the features seen in the October flyby
that were characterized as "cryovolcanic" meaning flows of warm ice, or
mixtures of liquid water and ammonia (see PIA06993).
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 radar
instrument team is based at JPL, 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.
