October 21, 1995
Every year, the Earth returns to the same point in its orbit where it was when you were born.
A Glimpse of Titan's Surface
Birthday · October 21, 1995
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APOD published October 21, 1995. Full image credits are on the original APOD entry below. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
The surface of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, is normally hidden from view by its thick, hazy atmosphere. However, for the first time astronomers have been able to see surface features in images like the one above, made at near-infrared wavelengths with the Hubble Space Telescope. At these wavelengths (longer than visible light) Titan's smog like atmosphere begins to be transparent enough to allow glimpses of it's surface. The bright feature seen above is about 2,500 miles across, similar in size to Australia. Astronomers are still trying to work out what the bright and dark areas represent - oceans, continents, craters, or other features. The images represent important information for planning the Cassini mission, scheduled for launch in 1997. The Cassini spacecraft will explore the Saturn system and parachute a probe to Titan's surface.