Saturn’s moon Titan — larger than the planet Mercury and with an atmosphere — has always intrigued astronomers. Results exceeded expectations when the Huygens probe deployed its parachutes and drifted down through Titan’s chemical haze, revealing bright highlands that drain in a river-like way to flat, dark lowlands, before landing in a material with the consistency of wet sand after a descent of 2 hr 28 min. The first results were published in the 8 December 2005 issue of Nature and this special web focus presents the latest findings alongside a comprehensive archive of papers about this fascinating moon. The sights and sounds of Huygens’ incredible journey are also featured in multimedia files including a brilliant descent animation.
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