Huygens probe at Titan. Artwork of the European Space Agency's Huygens probe (centre) entering the atmosphere of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. Th

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Huygens probe at Titan. Artwork of the European Space Agency's Huygens probe (centre) entering the atmosphere of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. The upper atmosphere forms a haze (blue) above the cloud layer (orange). This probe was launched from Earth in 1997 as part of the Cassini-Huygens mission. It entered Titan's atmosphere on 14 January 2005, protected by a heat shield, and landed using its parachute. It transmitted from the surface for 90 minutes. Titan's atmosphere is mainly nitrogen with clouds of methane and ethane. The surface is a mixture of water and hydrocarbon ice.

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Size: 3447px × 5088px
Photo credit: © DAVID DUCROS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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