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Titan Flyby (T-65) – Jan. 12, 2010

The shadow of Saturn's largest moon darkens a huge portion of the gas giant planet.
The shadow of Saturn's largest moon darkens a huge portion of the gas giant planet.

T-65: Southward Bound

The Cassini spacecraft returned to Titan's south for a close flyby on Jan. 12, 2010. During this pass RADAR got another view of Ontario Lacus, providing an opportunity to see evaporation at the methane and ethane lake near the south pole. Also, this was the lowest pass in the mission for the Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer, which provides the opportunity to sample deep into the southern atmosphere as well as to measure possible seasonal changes. A similar pass about six months ago can provide a good comparison set of data.

Titan Flyby at a Glance

Date
Jan. 12, 2010

Altitude
668 miles (1,073 km)

Speed
13,200 mph (5.9 km/sec)