Siyazi ukuba iplanethi iSaturn ineesathelayithi ezininzi. Eyokuqala kunye neyona nto iphambili iyaziwa ngegama lika Titan. Yisathelayithi efundwe kakuhle eneempawu ezahlukileyo kwezinye iinyanga zeSaturn. Kwenzeka okufanayo nakwezinye iisathelayithi zezinye iiplanethi. Ezi nkalo zikhethekileyo ziye zabangela ukuba izazinzulu zifune ukwazi.
Ke ngoko, siza kunikela eli nqaku ukuze sikuxelele malunga neempawu zeTitan, ukufunyanwa kwayo, umoya kunye nokunye okuninzi.
Iimpawu eziphambili
I-Titan yeyesibini ngobukhulu kwisathelayithi kwisixokelelwano selanga, emva kweGanymede, ejikeleza iJupiter. Ngaphandle koko, I-Titan kuphela kwesathelayithi kwisixokelelwano sethu selanga esinomoya oshinyeneyo.. Lo moya ubunjwe ikakhulu yinitrogen, kodwa ikwaqulethe i<em>methane nezinye iigesi. Ngenxa yolu qulunqo, umphezulu weTitan ugutyungelwe ngamachibi kunye neelwandle zemethane engamanzi kunye ne-ethane, kunokuba amanzi angamanzi njengaseMhlabeni.
Kule sathelayithi sikwafumana iintaba, iindunduma zesanti kunye nemilambo, nangona endaweni yamanzi, le milambo yenziwe ngolwelo lwe-hydrocarbon. Ngaphandle koko, Umphezulu we-Titan uhlala uguquka ngenxa yomsebenzi wejoloji kunye neempembelelo zomoya.
Enye into enomdla ye-Titan kukuba inomjikelezo we-methane ofana nomjikelo wamanzi eMhlabeni. EMhlabeni, amanzi aba ngumphunga esuka elwandle, enze amafu, aze ehle njengemvula phezu komhlaba. Kule sathelayithi, imethane ingumphunga isuka kumachibi naselwandle, yenze amafu, ize iwe njengemvula phezu komhlaba.
Izazinzulu zikholelwa ukuba i-Titan inokuba namandla okuxhasa ubomi, nangona singayazi eMhlabeni ngenxa yeemeko ezigqithisileyo zokusingqongileyo. I-NASA Cassini-Huygens mission ifunde iTitan iminyaka engaphezu kweshumi kwaye ifumene ulwazi oluninzi malunga nale satellite.
Ukufunyanwa kweTitan
Ngomnyaka we-1655 isazi ngeenkwenkwezi esingumDatshi uChristiaan Huygens, esebenzisa iteleskopu yakhe, ufumene into ejikeleza iSaturn. Ekuqaleni, wayengaqinisekanga ukuba yintoni na, kodwa emva kokuyiqwalasela izihlandlo ezininzi wagqiba kwelokuba yayisisathelayithi. U-Huygens wabiza isathelayithi "i-Titan" emva kwengxilimbela evela kwiintsomi zamaGrike owayengunyana kaGaea no-Uranus. Enyanisweni, u-Huygens wafumanisa ezinye iisathelayithi ezintathu zeSaturn, kodwa i-Titan yayiyeyona inkulu kwaye inomdla kakhulu.
Kwiminyaka elandelayo, uqwalaselo oluninzi lwesathelayithi lwenziwa, kodwa ngenxa yokunqongophala komthamo weeteleskopu zelo xesha, akukho lwazi lungako olongezelelweyo olunokufunyanwa. Kwada kwada kwafika ixesha lesithuba, kwi-1970s, ukuba i-NASA ithumele i-Voyager 1 mission ukuhlola inkqubo yeSaturn.
Imishini yeVoyager 1 ibonelele ngemifanekiso yokuqala ekumgangatho ophezulu weTitan, ivumela izazinzulu ukuba zifunde ngemo yesathelayithi kunye nomphezulu ngakumbi. Kodwa yayiyimishini yeCassini-Huygens, eyasungulwa ngo-1997 kwaye yafikelela kwiSaturn ngo-2004, eyasinika umbono opheleleyo weTitan.
I-Huygens probe yafika kwindawo ye-Titan kwi-2005 kunye yayisisiphekepheke sokuqala ukumisa kwisathelayithi ngaphandle kweNyanga. Umsebenzi weCassini-Huygens unikeze ubutyebi bedatha kwaye uguqule ukuqonda kwethu iTitan. Ngombulelo kubuchwephesha, kuye kwenzeka ukuba ufunde okungakumbi malunga nento eyafunyanwa kwiminyaka engaphezu kwama-300 eyadlulayo.
Umoya weTitan
Kubalulekile ukukhankanya ukuba umoya weTitan uxinene kakhulu kunowoMhlaba. Enyanisweni, inoxinzelelo lwe-atmospheric kumphezulu ophindwe kabini kunowoMhlaba. Kwakhona, ngokungafaniyo noMhlaba, umoya weTitan wenziwa kakhulu ngenitrogen, nge-98,4% yomthamo wayo uwonke.
Eyona nto eyenza ukuba umoya wale sathelayithi ube nomdla ngakumbi kukuba ikwaqulethe i-methane, i-ethane kunye nezinye iigesi, nto leyo eyenza ukuba ibe yodwa kuyo yonke inkqubo yelanga. Ukongeza, ubukho bezi gesi bukhokelele ekwakhekeni kwenkungu kwiatmosfera ye-Titan, yiyo loo nto kunzima ukubona umphezulu wayo ngeeteleskopu.
Ngenxa yobukho bemethane, kukho imijikelo yemozulu efanayo naleyo iseMhlabeni. Oko kukuthi, kukho umphunga wemethane ukusuka kumachibi angaphezulu kunye nolwandle, ukuvela kwamafu, imvula, kunye nokumiswa komphezulu. Enyanisweni, imilambo kunye namachibi afumaneka kumphezulu weTitan kucingelwa ukuba enziwe ngemethane engamanzi.
Izazinzulu ziye zaphawula utshintsho lwamaxesha onyaka kwi-atmosfera ye-Titan, njengokuvela kwamafu omkhenkce ezipalini ebusika nokuvela kwezaqhwithi emoyeni ehlotyeni.
Umahluko kunye neplanethi enguMhlaba
Okokuqala, kufuneka kuthiwe iTitan yisathelayithi, ngelixa uMhlaba yiplanethi. Oku kuthetha ukuba iTitan ayinawo umoya olungeleleneyo nobomi njengoko sisazi. Kwakhona, kuba iTitan ibanda kakhulu kunoMhlaba, umphezulu wayo ugqunywe yimethane kunye nomkhenkce we-ethane endaweni yamanzi.
Omnye umahluko omkhulu kukuba isathelayithi ayinawo umhlaba wemagnethi, nto leyo ethetha ukuba ayikhuselwanga kumasuntswana atshajiweyo avela eLangeni.Oku kwenza ukuba imitha yemitha ibephezulu kakhulu kumphezulu weTitan kunaseMhlabeni. Kwakhona, umxhuzulane uphantsi kakhulu kunaseMhlabeni. Ukuba besikwiTitan, sinokutsiba phezulu kakhulu kuneplanethi yethu.
Okokugqibela, omnye umahluko omkhulu kukuba iqondo lobushushu kwisathelayithi libanda kakhulu kunaseMhlabeni. Ubushushu obuphakathi kumphezulu wesathelayithi malunga -180 degrees celcius, ngelixa iqondo lobushushu eliqhelekileyo kumphezulu woMhlaba lijikeleze i-15 degrees. Oku kuthetha ukuba nabuphi na ubomi obunokubakho kwi-Titan kuya kufuneka buqhelane neemeko ezigqithise kakhulu kunezo zisemhlabeni.
Ndiyathemba ukuba ngolu lwazi unokufunda ngakumbi malunga ne-Titan satellite kunye neempawu zayo.