A new study found out that there are liquid waves in the planet Saturn's largest moon, Titan. This marks the first discovery of ocean waves outside the Earth.
Planetary scientist Jason Barnes, an assistant professor at the University of Idaho, observed isolated ripples in a sea named Punga Mare in Titan. However, it is not a sea of water, but a sea of made up of hydrocarbons methane and ethane, which are in their liquid state because of Titan's surface temperature.
Analysis of images taken by a spectrometer in NASA's Cassini spacecraft and use of a mathematical model that the ripples in the image were compatible with waves. These waves of hydrocarbons, which are thicker than water, were believed to be produced by a wind speed of about 0.75 meters per second.
"We think we've found the first waves outside the Earth," said Barnes to BBC News. "What we're seeing seems to be consistent with waves at just a few locations in Punga Mare [with a slope] of six degrees."
However, Titan, which has a 30-year long season cycle, is soon facing major seasonal changes. Computer models show that the Titan is likely to approach the rainy season, and anytime soon, clouds will start to build up at the north pole and rain will start pouring.
"The expectation is that any day now, the winds will start getting strong enough as we move into northern summer, and the waves will start picking up," said Ralph Lorenz, a senior professional staff at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL), to BBC News.
Because of the inevitable changes, scientists might not be able to go further with their studies to gain better understanding of the issue.
Further details of this study can be read on the March 17 issue of Nature.
