WATER VAPOR DISCOVERED
ON TITAN, OTHER STARS

by Michael Koller (michaelk@seds.org)

In an April 9 report, European astronomers using the Infared Space Observitory have found water in the atmosphere of Saturn’s largest moon Titan, and in the vicinity of other nearby stars. The discovery is significant because temperatures in space would normally freeze water vapor. In the case of Saturn’s moon Titan, the existance of water vapor in the moon’s upper atmosphere could mean that life could develop on Titan if the moon were heated to Earth-like temperatures. NASA’s Cassini mission, now on its way to the Saturn system, will likely investigate the discovery in detail.