Since the twin Voyager spacecraft flew past Saturn’s moon Titan, scientists have been excited about what its hazy atmosphere can tell us about the earliest days of our own planet. The Voyagers discovered that Titan’s atmosphere is swirling with hydrocarbons and other complex organic molecules that could be the building blocks of life. The latest findings from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft have uncovered that these organic molecules are floating higher in Titan’s atmosphere than scientists originally thought. The latest research, published in the May 11 edition of the journal „Science“, shows that these organic aerosols, called tholins, have been found in altitudes higher than 1.000 kilometres above the surface of Titan. This is important because Titan’s environment is thought to be very similar to Earth’s early history, before the first life formed. A similar process could have happened here.
Hunter Waite et al.: „The Process of Tholin Formation in Titan’s Upper Atmosphere“

Graphic: Tholin Formation (Credit: SwRI)