When did Christiaan Huygens discover Titan?
Christiaan Huygens discovered Titan on the 25th of March 1655. He used one of two telescopes he had built with his brother Constantijn Huygens Jr. since 1650 to make this observation.
Questions about Titan (moon)
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who named the moon Titan and when was that name officially adopted?
John Herschel proposed the name Titan in an 1847 publication based on Greek mythology. His work Results of Astronomical Observations Made during the Years 1834, 5, 6, 7, 8 at the Cape of Good Hope established the naming convention for all seven major moons.
What is the diameter and composition of Titan?
Titan measures approximately 5,150 kilometers in diameter making it larger than Mercury yet only 40% as massive due to its icy composition. Its bulk density is 1.881 grams per cubic centimeter indicating a mixture of rock and water ice.
How thick is the atmosphere of Titan compared to Earth?
Surface pressure reaches 146.7 kilopascals which is about 1.4 times greater than Earth's sea level pressure. Nitrogen makes up roughly 98.6% of the stratosphere while methane accounts for 4.92% near the ground.
When did the Huygens probe land on Titan and what did it find?
Huygens descended by parachute and touched down on the 14th of January 2005 just off the easternmost tip of Adiri region. It photographed pale hills with dark rivers running toward plains covered in small rocks including two specific rocks measuring 15 centimeters and 4 centimeters across at distances of 85 centimeters from the probe.