Thanks to Shane for this cool article and to the Daily Galaxy for the cool image:Recently identified electrical activity on Saturn's largest moon bolsters arguments that Titan is the kind of place that could harbor life.
At a brisk -350 degrees Fahrenheit (-180 Celsius), Titan is currently much too cold to host anything close to life as we know it, scientists say.
But a new study reports faint signs of a natural electric field in Titan's thick cloud cover that are similar to the energy radiated by lightning on Earth.
Lightning is thought to have sparked the chemical reactions that led to the origin of life on our planet.
"As of now, lightning activity has not been observed in Titan's atmosphere," said lead author Juan Antonio Morente of the University of Granada in Spain.
But, he said, the signals that have been detected "are an irrefutable proof for the existence of electric activity."
Electricity is ruled by Uranus, and the timing of this announcement just as Saturn opposes Uranus is the kind of wonderful synchronicity that we astrologers love.
It's always fun to see that Science is a living, breathing organism that changes and morphs as new information is available. This is another representation of Uranus, with its new discoveries and exciting new ways of looking at the world, facing off with Saturn representing the established scientific theories that resist an open mind.
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Fascinating stuff. I think astronomers have long suspected that Titan might one day be capable of supporting life (an idea that's long been exploited by SF writers!). There are some great pictures of Saturn, particularly the rings, on NASA's solar system website. Here's one of my favourites:
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=3903
Thank goodness. Now we know that when we move to Titan we will still have our internet connection.
Thanks for that link Kay!
Charles, thank you for your brilliant comments that always make me laugh. :)
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