Lighthouse News Daily

Breaking Daily News

Saturday, January 23, 2021
Log in
  • Headlines
  • Business
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • U.S.
  • World
  • Latest News
    • Inflatable Greenhouse Could Be A Food Source In The Outer Space
    • YouTube for Children Being Launched by Google
    • Some Animals Produce Natural Sunscreen to Protect Themselves from Radiation, New Study Shows
    • A New Genetic Map Tracks Down Dog Breeds And Their Evolution
    • Lack Of Sleep Causes Brain Cells To Slow Down
    • Meet Lyuba, the Best-Preserved Baby Mammoth in the World
    • Reports of Great White Shark Spottings Around Wells, Maine
    • Minecraft Adds Hour of Code Designer Tutorial
    • The de Broglie-Bohm Theory Is Back and It’s Surreal
    • Could High Carbon Dioxide Concentration Make Earth Greener?
You are here: Home / Science / Titan’s Magic Islands Received An Official Explanation

Titan’s Magic Islands Received An Official Explanation

April 21, 2017 By Janice Bower Leave a Comment

Email, RSS Follow
titan magic islands

A team now believes static electricity may well be the culprit behind Titan’s Magic Islands.

 

Titan, Saturn’s biggest moon, is larger than Mercury, and scientists believe that its surface is mostly sand formed by organic molecules. For years, observations have been made of massive dunes flowing across the surface. At times, these dunes form large mountains of sand cheekily called “magic islands” because they seemed to defy gravity and the wind by holding their structure. Through experiments conducted on Earth and observations made by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, a team now believes static electricity may well be the culprit.

Titan’s Magic Islands Are Not Quite Magic

Just like wet sand holds together to form castles during trips to the beach, static electricity can hold sand together in formations as well. Conditions on Titan seem to be extraordinarily suited for this situation. The atmospheric pressure on Titan is higher than that on Earth, while also being very cold and dry.

This increases the overall effect of the static since the sand mainly serves as an insulator against the massive amount of electricity generated by atmospheric friction. It is also the same friction that creates lightning storms on our planet. However, on Titan, they have far more power.

When the storms get especially active, this charge can then be stored up on the surface of individual particles of sand. This causes them to act as tiny magnets, clinging to one another in defiance of gravity and wind.

Scientists created similar conditions in the lab, and they now believe that a sand castle built on Titan might stand for quite some weeks. It also may explain why so many dunes on the moon’s surface appear to form in defiance of the prevailing winds. Only heavy gusts and storms seem to have the power to move them. So after many years of speculation, it looks like the magic in Titan’s fabled Magic Islands was really simple static electricity all along.
The study team released its research results in a paper published in the Nature Astronomy journal.
Image Source: Wikimedia
Email, RSS Follow

Filed Under: Science

Pages

  • About/Contact
  • AccomplishNow Sandra Rechsteiner | A Journey to Self-Acceptance
  • Privacy Policy GDPR
  • Staff
  • Terms and Conditions

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 17 other subscribers

Charles Haley Says Brady Will be Haunted by Deflategate

February 5, 2015 By Grant Hamersma Leave a Comment

Team Detects Genetic Mutations that May Explain Breast Cancer Relapse

September 25, 2015 By Barbara Mast Leave a Comment

While revealing Ashley Madison names was the first part that was revealed , the next step is having pictures, chats and private messagepublished.

Ashley Madison Hackers Will Reveal More Soon

August 23, 2015 By Janice Bower Leave a Comment

We are about to have some new additions to Heroes of the Storm, with Artanis and Medic hitting the Nexus.

New Additions To Heroes of the Storm

October 3, 2015 By Grant Hamersma Leave a Comment

SolarCity Reportedly Designed World’s Most Efficient Solar Panel

October 3, 2015 By Lonnie Davidson Leave a Comment

New Fantastic Four Trailer is Just that, Fantastic

January 27, 2015 By Janice Bower Leave a Comment

Apple Posts Best Quarter Ever in Corporate History

January 28, 2015 By Janice Bower Leave a Comment

Coca-Cola Profit Beats Estimates

February 10, 2015 By David Kellen Leave a Comment

Related Articles

  • Hunterian Museum, where the skeleton of the Irish Giant is kept

    Irish Giant Skeleton Could Be Buried at Sea

    Jun 27, 2018
  • part of a Leonardo Da Vinci painting

    Painted Tile Might be Leonardo Da Vinci’s Earliest Work

    Jun 27, 2018
  • Robert F. Kennedy

    More Details on Robert F. Kennedy’s Assassination Emerge (Study)

    Jun 20, 2018
  • cat and dog

    Dogs Have More Neurons than Cats (Study)

    Jun 18, 2018
  • Stephen Hawking

    Stephen Hawking’s Voice to Be Beamed into Space

    Jun 15, 2018
  • cat's blue eyes

    Why Do Humans See Better Than Other Animals? (Study)

    Jun 7, 2018
  • ice shelf in East Antarctica

    Earthquakes are Happening Beneath East Antarctica’s Ice (Study)

    Jun 6, 2018
  • mother with her baby

    Women’s Voices Drop After Giving Birth (Study)

    Jun 4, 2018
  • human evolution

    Why Do Humans Have Big Brains? Experts Weigh In (Study)

    May 24, 2018
  • Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun with dogs

    Adolf Hitler’s Teeth Confirm He Indeed Died in 1945 (Study)

    May 23, 2018

Categories

  • Business
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Headlines
  • Health
  • Nature
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • U.S.
  • Uncategorized
  • World

Copyright © 2021 lighthousenewsdaily.com

About | Contact · Staff · Terms and Conditions · Privacy Policy

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more.