Scientists discover massive methane lakes on Saturn’s moon, suspect life may exist

Scientists have often held Saturn's moon of Titan in high regard because of its particularly unique makeup. As its name suggests, Titan is the largest of Saturn's moons, and it's the only one to show any signs of having a dense enough atmosphere to support life. Now, NASA's Cassini probe has discovered enormous lakes near the satellite's equator, made not of water, but of liquid methane.

Prior to the discovery, scientists believed standing bodies of liquid would only be possible near Titan's two poles. Finding water near the equator of the planet means that there may be an active source of flowing liquid on the planet, which could help life to form.

The lakes themselves are actually just few feet deep in many places, making for miles of methane-covered swampland. Cassini is still studying the area and will make a number of additional flybys in order to gather more data, so keep your fingers crossed that NASA may still discover some methane-breathing fish monsters... or something.

(Source)

This article originally appeared on Tecca

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