List of geological features on Titan
This is a list of named geological features on Saturn's moon Titan. Official names for these features have only been announced very recently, as Titan's surface was virtually unknown before the arrival of the Cassini–Huygens probe.[1] Some features were known by informal nicknames beforehand; these names are noted where appropriate.
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[edit] Albedo features
Albedo features on Titan are named after sacred or enchanted places in world mythologies and literature.
[edit] Bright albedo features
| Albedo feature | Coordinates | Named after |
|---|---|---|
| Adiri | 10°S 210°W / 10°S 210°W | Adiri, Melanesian paradise. |
| Dilmun | 15°N 175°W / 15°N 175°W | Dilmun, Sumerian heaven. |
| Quivira | 0°N 15°W / 0°N 15°W | Quivira, legendary city in southwestern America |
| Tsegihi | 40°S 10°W / 40°S 10°W | Tsegihi, Navajo sacred place. |
| Xanadu | 15°S 100°W / 15°S 100°W | Xanadu, an imaginary palace in Coleridge's Kubla Khan. |
[edit] Dark albedo features
| Albedo feature | Coordinates | Named after | Informal name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aaru | 10°N 340°W / 10°N 340°W | Aaru, Egyptian paradise. | |
| Aztlan | 10°S 20°W / 10°S 20°W | Aztlán, mythical Aztec homeland. | Southern part of 'Lying H' |
| Belet | 5°S 255°W / 5°S 255°W | Belet, Malay paradise. | |
| Ching-tu | 30°S 205°W / 30°S 205°W | Ching-tu, Chinese Buddhist paradise. | |
| Fensal | 5°N 30°W / 5°N 30°W | Fensal, Norse heavenly mansion | Northern part of 'Lying H' |
| Mezzoramia | 70°S 0°W / 70°S 0°W | Mezzoramia, Italian legend of oasis of happiness in Africa. | |
| Senkyo | 5°S 320°W / 5°S 320°W | Senkyo, Japanese paradise. | |
| Shangri-la | 10°S 165°W / 10°S 165°W | Shangri-La, Tibetan paradise. |
[edit] Arcūs
Titanian arcūs (arc-shaped features) are named after deities of happiness.
| Albedo feature | Latitude | Longitude | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotei Arcus | 28.0 S | 79.0 W | Hotei, Japanese god |
[edit] Craters
Craters on Titan are named after deities of wisdom.
| Crater | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter (km) | Named after | Informal name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afekan | 25.8 N | 200.3 W | 115.0 | Afekan, New Guinean creator goddess | |
| Ksa | 14.0 N | 65.4 W | 29.0 | Ksa, Lakota and Oglala god | |
| Menrva | 20.1 N | 87.2 W | 392.0 | Menrva, Etruscan goddess | 'Circus Maximus' |
| Selk | 7.0 N | 199.0 W | 80.0 | Selk, Egyptian goddess | |
| Sinlap | 11.3 N | 16.0 W | 80.0 | Sinlap, Kachin spirit |
[edit] Faculae
Faculae (bright spots) are named after islands on Earth that are not politically independent. Groups of faculae are named after archipelagos on Earth.
| Facula | Latitude | Longitude | Named after | Informal name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antilia Faculae | 11.0 S | 187.0 W | Antillia, mythical Atlantic archipelago | |
| Bazaruto Facula | 11.6 N | 16.1 W | Bazaruto, Mozambique island | |
| Coats Facula | 11.1 S | 29.2 W | Coats Island, Canada | |
| Crete Facula | 9.4 N | 150.1 W | Crete, Greek island | |
| Elba Facula | 10.8 S | 1.2 W | Elba, Italian island | |
| Kerguelen Facula | 5.4 S | 151.0 W | Kerguelen Islands, French subantarctic island | |
| Mindanao Facula | 6.6 S | 174.2 W | Mindanao, Philippine island | 'Ireland' |
| Nicobar Faculae | 2.0 N | 159.0 W | Nicobar Islands, Indian archipelago | |
| Oahu Facula | 5.0 N | 166.7 W | Oahu, Hawaiian island | |
| Santorini Facula | 2.4 N | 145.6 W | Santorini, Greek island | |
| Shikoku Facula | 10.4 S | 164.1 W | Shikoku, Japanese island | 'Great Britain' |
| Sotra Facula | 12.5 S | 39.8 W | Sotra, Norwegian island | 'The Rose' |
| Texel Facula | 11.5 S | 182.6 W | Texel, Dutch island | 'Manhattan' |
| Tortola Facula | 8.8 N | 143.1 W | Tortola, British Virgin Islands | 'The Snail' |
| Vis Facula | 7.0 N | 138.4 W | Vis, Croatian island |
[edit] Fluctūs
The term "fluctus" refers to flow terrain. Fluctūs on Titan are named after mythological figures associated with beauty.
| Fluctus | Latitude | Longitude | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ara Fluctus | 39.8 N | 118.4 W | Ara the Beautiful, Armenian legendary figure |
| Leilah Fluctus | 50.5 N | 77.8 W | Layla, Persian goddess |
| Rohe Fluctus | 47.3 N | 37.75 W | Rohe, Māori goddess |
| Winia Fluctus | 49.0 N | 46.0 W | Winia, Indonesian first woman |
[edit] Flumina
A flumen is a feature that looks like a channel carved by liquid. There is one named group of flumina on Titan.
| Flumina | Latitude | Longitude | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elivagar Flumina | 19.3 N | 78.5 W | The Élivágar, a group of ice rivers in Norse mythology |
[edit] Insulae
Insulae are islands within Titan's 'seas'. They are named after legendary islands.
| Insula | Latitude | Longitude | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mayda Insula | 79.1 N | 312.2 W | Mayda, legendary island in the northeast Atlantic |
[edit] Labrynthi
Labrynthi[1] are named after planets from the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert.[2]
| Labyrinthus | Latitude | Longitude | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sikun Labyrinthus | 77.9 S | 28.9 W | Sikun[2] |
[edit] Lacūs
Lacūs[1] (plural form of lacus used in Titan geological nomenclature) are hydrocarbon lakes.
[edit] Large ringed features
Large ring features are named after deities of wisdom in world mythology.
| Ring feature | Latitude | Longitude | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guabonito | 10.9 S | 150.8 W | Guabonito, Taíno sea goddess |
| Nath | 30.5 S | 7.7 W | Irish goddess of wisdom |
| Paxsi | 5.0 N | 341.2 W | Aymara goddess of the moon and wisdom |
| Veles | 2.0 N | 137.3 W | Veles, Slavic god |
[edit] Maculae
Titanian maculae (dark spots) are named after deities of happiness, peace, and harmony in world mythology.
| Macula | Latitude | Longitude | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eir Macula | 24.0 S | 114.7 W | Eir, Norse goddess. |
| Elpis Macula | 31.2 N | 27.0 W | Elpis, Greek god. |
| Ganesa Macula | 50.0 N | 87.3 W | Ganesa, Hindu god. |
| Omacatl Macula | 17.6 N | 37.2 W | Omacatl, Aztec god. |
| Polaznik Macula | 41.1 S | 280.4 W | Polaznik, Slavic god |
| Polelya Macula | 50.0 N | 56.0 W | Polelya, Slavic god |
[edit] Maria
Maria (plural of mare) are hydrocarbon seas.
[edit] Planitia
Planitia (low plains) are named after planets from the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert.[3][4]
| Planitia | Latitude | Longitude | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrakis Planitia | 78.4 S | 117.0 W | Arrakis[5] |
| Chusuk Planitia | 5.0 S | 23.5 W | Chusuk[6] |
[edit] Regiones
Regiones (regions distinctly different from their surroundings) are named after deities of peace and happiness.
| Regio | Latitude | Longitude | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotei Regio | 26.0 S | 78.0 W | Budai, Chinese/Japanese god |
| Tui Regio | 24.5 S | 124.9 W | Tui, Chinese goddess. |
[edit] Virgae
Virgae (streaks of colour) are named after rain gods in world mythologies.
| Virga | Latitude | Longitude | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bacab Virgae | 19.0 S | 151.0 W | Bacab, Mayan rain god |
| Hobal Virga | 35.0 S | 166.0 W | Hobal, Arabian rain god. |
| Kalseru Virga | 36.0 S | 137.0 W | Kalseru, Australian Aborigine rain god. |
| Perkunas Virgae | 27.0 S | 162.0 W | Perkūnas, Lithuanian supreme god |
| Shiwanni Virgae | 25.0 S | 32.0 W | Shiwanni, Zuni rain god |
| Uanui Virgae | 45.2 N | 235.3 W | Uanui, Māori rain god |
[edit] Informal names for unnamed features
Because the exact nature of many surface features remain mysterious, a number of features have not yet received formal names and are known by nicknames. In most cases, indications of brightness and darkness refer not to visible light, but to the infrared images used to look through Titan's obscuring haze. Cassini has also begun to map portions of Titan using radar.
- 'The Sickle': a large, dark, sickle-shaped region identified by the Hubble Space Telescope.
- 'Dog and Ball', 'Dragon's Head': large, dark, roughly equatorial regions identified by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, named for their distinctive shapes.
- 'Si-Si the Cat': a region that appears dark in radar images, named after a researcher's daughter who said it looked like a cat.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature: Titan Features". Planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov. http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Page/TITAN/target. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ a b "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature: Sikun Labyrinthus". Planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov. January 6, 2010. http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14629. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ Blue, Jennifer (August 4, 2009). "USGS Astrogeology Hot Topics: New Name, Descriptor Term, and Theme Approved for Use on Titan". Astrogeology.usgs.gov. http://astrogeology.usgs.gov/HotTopics/index.php?/archives/369-New-Name,-Descriptor-Term,-and-Theme-Approved-for-Use-on-Titan.html. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature: Titan Planitia". Planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov. http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/SearchResults?target=TITAN&featureType=Planitia,%20planitiae. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature: Arrakis Planitia". Planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov. April 5, 2010. http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14656. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature: Chusuk Planitia". Planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov. August 4, 2009. http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14591. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
[edit] External links
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