| The Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) on NASA's Cassini spacecraft recorded these infrared images of Titan's northern hemisphere. Image (A) was taken on Dec. 13, 2004; image (B) on Aug. 22, 2005; image (C) on Aug. 21, 2005; and image (D) on Sept. 7, 2005. The images show the reflection of sunlight on Titan's atmosphere at 2.8 microns, which are longer wavelengths than human eyes can detect. The image appears in false color so that the highest reflection appears as a reddish hue. The vast cloud can be seen in all images as a reddish band just north of 50 degrees latitude. The top of the image in panel D also shows a strong reflection off the limb of the planet (also reddish) which is caused by the lighting angle and does not indicate the presence of clouds. (Photo: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona) |
