How Titan’s Soil Controls Its Skies: Thermal Inertia and the Boundary Layer on Saturn’s Largest Moon
This study explores how Titan’s surface thermal inertia influences its near-surface atmosphere. Using simulations, Han and Lora show that daily temperature swings depend strongly on surface properties, while seasonal changes are mostly shaped by the atmosphere. Their results explain past Huygens probe data and predict stable conditions for the upcoming Dragonfly mission.
What Titan Teaches Us About Alien Atmospheres: The Detection-vs-Retrieval Challenge
This study uses Titan’s atmosphere as a test case to highlight challenges in analyzing exoplanet atmospheres. The authors show that pre-selecting molecules for retrieval can bias results, even for major gases like methane. They propose an iterative method using scale height to better identify dominant atmospheric components, offering a more reliable approach for future exoplanet studies.
Titan’s Changing Skies: New Insights from JWST and Keck
Scientists used JWST and Keck observations to study Titan’s atmosphere during late northern summer. They detected the CH₃ radical for the first time, observed CO and CO₂ emissions across a wide altitude range, and tracked evolving methane clouds. These findings reveal active weather, deep convection, and confirm long-standing predictions about Titan’s atmospheric composition and seasonal climate changes.