Why does Titan have lakes and rain, even though it is so cold?
Quick Answer
Titan's temperature is low enough for methane and ethane to behave like water does on Earth. That lets it have clouds, rain, rivers and lakes of liquid hydrocarbons.
The Full Story
Titan, Saturn's largest moon, has a thick nitrogen-rich atmosphere and a surface temperature of about -179°C. At that temperature, methane can condense into clouds and fall as rain, just as water does in Earth's weather cycle. The liquid then collects in rivers, dunes and large lakes and seas near the poles. Cassini and the Huygens probe confirmed this active methane cycle. Titan is the only world besides Earth known to have stable liquid on its surface in the form of lakes and seas.
Key Facts
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