Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Credit: NASA
Titan loses energy as it orbits Saturn, reshaping its orbit and revealing clues about its interior structure.
Credit: NASA
Titan’s spin pole angle shows evidence of tidal friction, pointing to a turbulent orbital past.
Earth’s moon's dissipation is measured with lasers, but Titan's shifts are inferred through spin-axis data.
Titan’s orbit is evolving rapidly—on a geologic timescale—unveiling mysteries of its core and past.
Credit: Caltech
Titan’s eccentric orbit suggests a major event, like an impact or lost satellite, disrupted it recently.
Tidal dissipation sheds light on Titan’s core makeup, hinting at subsurface ocean activity beneath its icy crust.
The noncircular orbit indicates Titan’s history was altered within the past 350 million years.
Scientists hope to apply this method to other moons, like Europa and Ganymede, in future missions.
Titan’s current orbit captures a moment between its last major disturbance and a return to circularity.