This artist's conception shows Titan's
surface with Saturn appearing dimly in the background through
Titan's thick atmosphere of mostly nitrogen and methane. The Cassini
spacecraft flys overhead with its high gain antenna pointed at
the Huygens probe as it nears the surface. Titan's surface may
hold lakes of liquid ethane and methane, sprinkled over a thin
veneer of frozen methane and ammonia. Most of the brownish-orange
color comes from more heavily processed hydrocarbons present in
Titan's atmosphere and on its surface. Artistic license has been
used to exaggerate the size of the orbiter, the sharpness of the
icy features, the tilt of Saturn's rings, and the visibility of
the planet through Titan's atmosphere. (P-45893AC)
