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Titan Flyby (T-78) – Sept. 12, 2011

Saturn's rings cut across this view of the planet's largest moon, Titan.This view looks toward the southern, unilluminated side of the rings from just below the ringplane and toward the Saturn-facing side of Titan. The image was taken May 12, 2011.
Saturn's rings cut across this view of the planet's largest moon, Titan. This view looks toward the southern, unilluminated side of the rings from just below the ringplane and toward the Saturn-facing side of Titan. The image was taken May 12, 2011.

T-78: CIRS Goes High

During this flyby, the composite infrared spectrometer (CIRS) focused on studying Titan’s atmosphere at high latitudes.

In addition, the ultraviolet imaging spectrograph (UVIS) instrument had a solar occultation, and the visible and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIMS) had a stellar occultation of a star in the constellation Aquarius. The measurements taken will allow scientists to constrain the composition and the spectral properties of Titan's atmosphere.

Titan Flyby at a Glance

Date
Sept. 12, 2011

Altitude
3,617 miles (5,821 km)

Speed
13,000 mph (5.8 km/sec)

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Last Updated
Jan 24, 2024
Editor
NASA Science Editorial Team

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