Titan (Saturn VI)
Orbital parameters (15.945 d around Saturn), visual magnitude 8.4, 1.45-bar N2/CH4 atmosphere, hydrocarbon lakes, and observing guide for Titan.
Provenance-Backed Scientific Measurements
Every measurement below preserves its unit, uncertainty interval, observational method, reference epoch, quality status, and primary catalog source. See Uncertainty & Provenance for how competing measurements are handled.
| Parameter | Value | Uncertainty | Method & Epoch | Quality Status | Source Archive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition visual magnitude (V) | 8.4 mag | 8.2 to 9 mag | JPL planetary satellite ephemeris photometry | definitive | NASA/JPL Solar System Dynamics & Planetary Fact Sheets |
| Orbital period around Saturn | 15.94542 d | ± 0.00001 d | Cassini & ground-based astrometric ephemeris (semi-major axis = 1,221,870 km / 20.27 R_Saturn) | definitive | NASA/JPL Solar System Dynamics & Planetary Fact Sheets |
| Solid-surface radius | 0.4043 R⊕ | ± 0.0002 R⊕ | Cassini radar altimetry & radio occultation (2,574.7 km — larger than Mercury!) | definitive | NASA/JPL Solar System Dynamics & Planetary Fact Sheets |
| Satellite mass | 0.0225 M⊕ | ± 0.0001 M⊕ | Cassini flyby radio-Doppler tracking (1.3452 × 10^23 kg, 1.83 × Moon) | definitive | NASA/JPL Solar System Dynamics & Planetary Fact Sheets |
| Surface temperature | 93.7 K | ± 0.6 K | ESA Huygens lander in-situ surface measurement (−179.5 °C at 1.45 bar) | definitive | NASA/JPL Solar System Dynamics & Planetary Fact Sheets |
J2000 Equatorial Sky Chart & Culmination Altitude
The chart below plots Titan (Saturn VI Nitrogen-Atmosphere Moon) at RA 23h 30m 18.00s, Dec -05° 00′ 00.0″ within Saturn System (Ecliptic), alongside peak meridian transit altitudes for 40°N and 30°S observers. Use the RA/Dec Coordinate Converter to compute exact culmination altitude for your latitude.
Astrophysical Context & Structure
Titan (Saturn VI), discovered on March 25, 1655, by Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens—the first planetary moon discovered after Galileo's four moons of Jupiter—is the largest satellite of Saturn and the second-largest moon in the Solar System. With a solid-surface diameter of 5,149.4 kilometers (0.404 Earth radii), Titan is physically larger than the planet Mercury (4,879 km), though its half-rock, half-water-ice interior gives it a bulk density of 1.88 g/cm³.
Titan is unique among all moons in the Solar System in possessing a dense, planet-like atmosphere: first detected spectroscopically by Gerard Kuiper in 1944 via methane absorption bands, its envelope is composed of ~94.2% molecular nitrogen (N2) and ~5.65% methane (CH4) with a surface pressure of 1.45 bars—45% higher than Earth's sea-level atmospheric pressure! Solar ultraviolet photolysis converts methane in the upper atmosphere into an orange tholin haze and ethane/acetylene clouds.
On January 14, 2005, ESA's Huygens probe parachuted through Titan's orange haze to make the first landing in the outer Solar System, photographing rounded water-ice cobbles in a dry river channel at 93.7 K (−179.5 °C). Subsequent Cassini synthetic-aperture radar maps revealed that Titan hosts a full cryogenic hydrological cycle based on liquid methane and ethane, complete with rainstorms, equatorial organic sand dunes, a global subsurface liquid-water ocean, and northern polar seas (Kraken Mare, Ligeia Mare, and Punga Mare).
Practical Visual Observing Guide
- Shining at visual magnitude 8.4, Titan is by far the easiest moon of Saturn to observe—visible in steadily mounted 10×50 or 15×70 binoculars and unmistakable in any 50–60 mm telescope at 40×–80×.
- Titan orbits Saturn every 15.95 days (almost exactly 16 days), reaching a maximum elongation of ~3.1 arcminutes (about 4.5 ring-diameters) east and west of Saturn.
- In a 200–300 mm telescope at 250×–350× under calm seeing, Titan resolves into a tiny 0.8-arcsecond warm orange-amber planetary disk.
Catalog Cross-Identifications & Aliases
Common Aliases: Saturn VI
| Catalog Authority | Identifier |
|---|---|
| WIKIDATA | Q2565 |
Related Objects, Comparisons & Guides
Saturn (Ringed Giant & Cassini Division)
JPL orbital parameters (9.5826 AU, 29.457 yr), ring tilt cycle, Cassini Division resolution, and telescope observing guide for Saturn.
Europa (Jupiter II Subsurface Ocean World)
Orbital parameters (3.551 d around Jupiter in 1:2:4 Laplace resonance), magnitude 5.29, icy shell & subsurface ocean, and observing guide for Europa.
Jupiter (Gas Giant & Galilean Moons)
JPL orbital parameters (5.2038 AU, 11.862 yr), opposition magnitude −2.94, 50.1″ angular disk, Galilean moons, and observing guide for Jupiter.
K2-18 b (Temperate Sub-Neptune in Leo)
Coordinates, Gaia DR3 distance (38.07 pc), 32.94-day habitable-zone orbit, 8.63 M⊕ mass, 2.61 R⊕ radius, and JWST CH4/CO2 spectrum of K2-18 b.
Solar System Planets & Moons Opposition Guide
How to observe Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Titan, and Europa around opposition using high magnification, atmospheric dispersion control, and transit timing.
Angular Size, Separation & Field of View
How angular diameter (degrees, arcminutes, arcseconds), spherical angular separation, and small-angle physical diameter relate to telescope field of view.
Apparent vs Absolute Magnitude Explained
Understand the logarithmic Pogson astronomical magnitude scale, apparent visual magnitude (m), absolute magnitude (M at 10 parsecs), and bolometric corrections.
Scientific Sources & Dataset Provenance
- NASA/JPL Solar System Dynamics & Planetary Fact Sheets (DE441 (2021/2026)): Park, R. S., et al. 2021, AJ, 161, 105 (The JPL Planetary and Lunar Ephemerides DE440 and DE441) — NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory / GSFC