Space probe "Cassini" transferred to Earth image of the moon of Saturn the Titan, which, in addition to the coastline of ancient seas, viewed education almost perfectly round shape, resembling in appearance giant Easter bun (hot cross bun). According to scientists, on Titan processes, analogous to the baking of these products from the test.

The research results were recently announced at the conference planetological section of the American astronomical society in Reno (Nevada). Picture Bulgartabac elevated position on Titan (its diameter is approximately 70 kilometers) was received on 22 may 2012. Earlier this landscape has already been observed on Venus: a convex region with a diameter of about 30 kilometers was located on top of a large volcano Kunapipi.

In the baking process upper part of the Easter rolls up and crack. Something similar can be seen on Titan: it allowed the experts to suggest that there "roll", as on Venus, has a volcanic nature. For example, it could be formed as a result of faults caused by the rise of magma. According to Rosalie Lopez from the jet propulsion Laboratory of NASA on Earth such Intrusive arrays are called laccoliths; one of the most famous of these formations is the mountain Henry in Utah.

In addition, the research group headed by Ellen Stofan of the company Proxemy Research (USA) carefully studied radar images of the southern hemisphere of the moon of Saturn. The purpose of the scientists was to find tanks of liquid. Because Titan is the only major body in the Solar system (except, of course, the Earth), the surface of which is consistently liquid - true, hydrocarbon, not the water.

The sixth satellite of Saturn the Titan is one of the most mysterious objects in the Solar system. So, the weather is dependent on the cycle of methane, which is both in liquid and gaseous form. Titanium is surrounded by a dense atmosphere and the temperature at its surface is about 180 degrees Celsius below zero. The researchers found that this celestial body about half is composed of water ice, and half of stony rocks.

The peculiarity of this sutorminskoe moon that on it, as on Earth, there are rivers, lakes and clouds, and besides, it's raining. However, not of water but of liquid hydrocarbons - in particular, from methane. Recently it was also proved that the hydrocarbon cycle on Titan is of seasonal nature - for example, ponds dry up and appear again depending on the time of year.

Methane rains so far been able to observe only at the poles, though, apparently, sometime in the past, the rain came and Equatorial latitudes, now where is the desert. This is evidenced by the preserved there a network of dry channels. However, in 2006 in these places there was a slight drizzle, but such a meager rainfall is not enough so hard hack into the terrain.

Until recently, the vast sea were found only in the Northern hemisphere of Titan. As for the South, the analysis of photographs "Cassini" for 2008-2011 has shown that there, too, was once under the sea, though smaller.
Titan

Ellen Stofan and her colleagues were able to find two relief education, possibly representing a dry sea. The size of one of them are 475 280 kilometers, and the depth of several hundred metres. Stefan also suggested that the remnant of the once vast sea is Ontario is the largest of the existing lakes in the southern hemisphere of Titan.

According to the members of the team from the California Institute of technology (USA) headed by Oded Aharonson, on Titan acts similar cycles Krall - Milankovitch explaining climate change on Earth shifts in solar orbit. It is possible that they lead to the concentration of liquids in one or in the other hemisphere of Titan. If we accept the truth of this model, it is still less than 50 thousand years ago the South pole of the moon of Saturn covered sea, with the average duration of the climate cycle is more than 100 thousand years. Read more about these processes would share the analysis of the dried bottom of the seas.