Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2020 August 20
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                                Seeing Titan
      Image Credit: [3]VIMS Team, [4]U. Arizona, [5]U. Nantes, [6]ESA,
                                   [7]NASA

   Explanation: Shrouded in a thick atmosphere, [8]Saturn's largest moon
   Titan really is hard to see. Small particles suspended in the upper
   atmosphere cause an almost impenetrable haze, strongly scattering light
   at visible wavelengths and hiding Titan's surface features from prying
   eyes. But Titan's [9]surface is better imaged at infrared wavelengths
   where scattering is weaker and atmospheric absorption is reduced.
   Arrayed around this visible light image (center) of Titan are some of
   the clearest global infrared views of the [10]tantalizing moon so far.
   In false color, [11]the six panels present a consistent processing of
   13 years of infrared image data from the Visual and Infrared Mapping
   Spectrometer (VIMS) on board [12]the Cassini spacecraft. They offer a
   stunning comparison with Cassini's visible light view.

    Experts Debate: [13]How will humanity first discover extraterrestrial
                                    life?
                      Tomorrow's picture: unwinding M51
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    Authors & editors: [25]Robert Nemiroff ([26]MTU) & [27]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([28]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [29]Specific rights apply.
              [30]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [31]ASD at [32]NASA / [33]GSFC
                           & [34]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2008/PIA21923_fig1SeeingTitan2400.jpg
   3. http://wwwvims.lpl.arizona.edu/
   4. http://pirlwww.lpl.arizona.edu/
   5. http://www.univ-nantes.fr/
   6. http://www.esa.int/
   7. http://www.nasa.gov/
   8. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/saturn-moons/titan/in-depth/
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150116.html
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140919.html
  11. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21923
  12. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/cassini/overview/
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/debate/debate100th.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200819.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  18. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  23. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=200820
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200821.html
  25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  28. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  31. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/
  33. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  34. http://www.mtu.edu/