List of geological features on Titan
Encyclopedia
This is a list of named geological features on Saturn
's moon Titan
. Official names for these features have only been announced very recently, as Titan's surface was virtually unknown before the arrival of the Cassini–Huygens probe. Some features were known by informal nicknames beforehand; these names are noted where appropriate.
features on Titan are named after sacred or enchanted places in world mythologies and literature.
s on Titan are named after deities of wisdom.
e (bright spots) are named after island
s on Earth that are not politically independent. Groups of faculae are named after archipelago
s on Earth.
.
created by Frank Herbert
.
Lacūs (plural form of lacus used in Titan geological nomenclature) are hydrocarbon lakes.
(dark spots) are named after deities of happiness, peace, and harmony in world mythology.
created by Frank Herbert
.
nes (regions distinctly different from their surroundings) are named after deities of peace and happiness.
images used to look through Titan's obscuring haze. Cassini has also begun to map portions of Titan using radar
.
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,...
's moon Titan
Titan (moon)
Titan , or Saturn VI, is the largest moon of Saturn, the only natural satellite known to have a dense atmosphere, and the only object other than Earth for which clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid has been found....
. Official names for these features have only been announced very recently, as Titan's surface was virtually unknown before the arrival of the Cassini–Huygens probe. Some features were known by informal nicknames beforehand; these names are noted where appropriate.
Albedo features
AlbedoAlbedo
Albedo , or reflection coefficient, is the diffuse reflectivity or reflecting power of a surface. It is defined as the ratio of reflected radiation from the surface to incident radiation upon it...
features on Titan are named after sacred or enchanted places in world mythologies and literature.
Bright albedo features
| Albedo feature | Coordinates | Named after |
|---|---|---|
| Adiri Adiri (Titan) Adiri is a large, bright albedo feature on Saturn's moon Titan. It is named after the paradise in Melanesian mythology. It is located to the west of the large, dark region of Shangri-la.... |
10°S 210°W | Adiri Adiri Adiri is a town in the Wadi al Shatii district in Libya. The city has a population of 4,611 people .... , Melanesia Melanesia Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji. The region comprises most of the islands immediately north and northeast of Australia... n paradise. |
| Dilmun Dilmun (Titan) Dilmun is a region of high albedo on Titan, Saturn's natural satellite.-Characteristics:Dilmun is located near the equator, centered on 15°N and 175 ° W.The large dark area of Shangri-la is located in the south.-Observation:... |
15°N 175°W | Dilmun Dilmun Dilmun or Telmun is a land mentioned by Mesopotamian civilizations as a trade partner, a source of the metal copper, and an entrepôt of the Mesopotamia-to-Indus Valley Civilization trade route... , Sumer Sumer Sumer was a civilization and historical region in southern Mesopotamia, modern Iraq during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age.... ian heaven. |
| Quivira | 0°N 15°W | Quivira Quivira and Cíbola Quivira is a place first mentioned by Francisco Vazquez de Coronado in 1541, who visited it during his searches for the mythical "Seven Cities of Gold". The location and identity of the "Quivirans" has been much debated over a wide area, including Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri... , legendary city in southwestern America |
| Tsegihi | 40°S 10°W | Tsegihi Tsegihi Tsegihi is a bright region in Titan's southern mid-latitudes. It is centered at .It is thought to be brighter than the surrounding area because dark organic haze particles which settle elsewhere on Titan are washed from Tsegihi by methane storms.... , Navajo Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous Native American-governed territory covering , occupying all of northeastern Arizona, the southeastern portion of Utah, and northwestern New Mexico... sacred place. |
| Xanadu Xanadu (Titan) Xanadu is a highly reflective area on the leading hemisphere of Saturn's moon Titan... |
15°S 100°W | Xanadu Xanadu -Description of Xanadu by Toghon Temur :The lament of Toghon Temur Khan , concerning the loss of Daidu and Heibun Shanduu in 1368, is recorded in many Mongolian historical chronicles... , an imaginary palace in Coleridge's Samuel Taylor Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla... Kubla Khan Kubla Khan Kubla Khan is a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, completed in 1797 and published in Christabel, Kubla Khan, and the Pains of Sleep in 1816... . |
Dark albedo features
| Albedo feature | Coordinates | Named after | Informal name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aaru | 10°N 340°W | Aaru Aaru In ancient Egyptian mythology, the fields of Aaru or the Egyptian reed fields, are the heavenly paradise, where Osiris ruled after he became part of the Egyptian pantheon and displaced Anubis in the Ogdoad tradition... , Egypt Egypt Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world... ian paradise. |
|
| Aztlan | 10°S 20°W | Aztlán Aztlán Aztlán is the mythical ancestral home of the Nahua peoples, one of the main cultural groups in Mesoamerica. And, by extension, is the mythical homeland of the Uto-Aztecan peoples. Aztec is the Nahuatl word for "people from Aztlan".-Legend:... , mythical Aztec Aztec The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the... homeland. |
Southern part of 'Lying H' |
| Belet | 5°S 255°W | Belet, Malay Malay people Malays are an ethnic group of Austronesian people predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, including the southernmost parts of Thailand, the east coast of Sumatra, the coast of Borneo, and the smaller islands which lie between these locations... paradise. |
|
| Ching-tu | 30°S 205°W | Ching-tu Pure land A pure land, in Mahayana Buddhism, is the celestial realm or pure abode of a Buddha or Bodhisattva. The various traditions that focus on Pure Lands have been given the nomenclature Pure Land Buddhism. Pure lands are also evident in the literature and traditions of Taoism and Bön.The notion of 'pure... , Chinese Buddhist Buddhism in China Chinese Buddhism refers collectively to the various schools of Buddhism that have flourished in China since ancient times. Buddhism has played an enormous role in shaping the mindset of the Chinese people, affecting their aesthetics, politics, literature, philosophy and medicine.At the peak of the... paradise. |
|
| Fensal | 5°N 30°W | Fensal, Norse Norse mythology Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving... heavenly mansion |
Northern part of 'Lying H' |
| Mezzoramia | 70°S 0°W | Mezzoramia, Italian Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... legend of oasis of happiness in Africa. |
|
| Senkyo | 5°S 320°W | Senkyo, Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... ese paradise. |
|
| Shangri-la Shangri-la (Titan) Shangri-la is a large, dark region of Saturn's moon Titan at . It is named after Shangri-La, the mythical paradise in Tibet. It is thought to be an immense plain of dark material. It is thought that these regions of Titan were seas, but that they are now dry.... |
10°S 165°W | Shangri-La Shangri-La Shangri-La is a fictional place described in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by British author James Hilton. Hilton describes Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley, gently guided from a lamasery, enclosed in the western end of the Kunlun Mountains... , Tibet Tibet Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people... an paradise. |
Arcūs
Titanian arcūs (arc-shaped features) are named after deities of happiness.| Albedo feature | Latitude | Longitude | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotei Arcus | 28.0 S | 79.0 W | Hotei Hotei Budai , pronounced Hotei in Japanese, Bố Đại in Vietnamese, is a Chinese folkloric deity. His name means "Cloth Sack," and comes from the bag that he is conventionally depicted as carrying. He is usually identified with Maitreya Buddha, so much so that the Budai image is one of the main forms in... , Japanese god |
Craters
CraterImpact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
s on Titan are named after deities of wisdom.
| Crater | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter (km) | Named after | Informal name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afekan | 25.8 N | 200.3 W | 115.0 | Afekan, New Guinea New Guinea New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago... n creator goddess |
|
| Ksa | 14.0 N | 65.4 W | 29.0 | Ksa, Lakota and Oglala Oglala Lakota The Oglala Lakota or Oglala Sioux are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people; along with the Nakota and Dakota, they make up the Great Sioux Nation. A majority of the Oglala live on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, the eighth-largest Native American reservation in the... god |
|
| Menrva | 20.1 N | 87.2 W | 392.0 | Menrva Menrva Menrva was an Etruscan goddess of war, art, wisdom and health. She contributed much of her character to Roman Minerva.... , Etruscan Etruscan mythology The Etruscans were a diachronically continuous population, with a distinct language and culture during the period of earliest European writing, in the Mediterranean Iron Age in the second half of the first millennium BC... goddess |
'Circus Maximus' |
| Selk | 7.0 N | 199.0 W | 80.0 | Selk, Egyptian Egyptian mythology Ancient Egyptian religion was a complex system of polytheistic beliefs and rituals which were an integral part of ancient Egyptian society. It centered on the Egyptians' interaction with a multitude of deities who were believed to be present in, and in control of, the forces and elements of nature... goddess |
|
| Sinlap | 11.3 N | 16.0 W | 80.0 | Sinlap Sinlap Sinlap is a circular depression on Titan, a natural satellite of Saturn.- Characteristics :Sinlap is centred at 11,3° latitude north and 16,0° longitude west, and measures 80 km in diameter.- Observation :... , Kachin spirit |
Faculae
FaculaFacula
A facula , Latin for "little torch", is literally a "bright spot." It is used in planetary nomenclature for naming certain surface features of planets and moons, and is also a type of surface phenomenon on the Sun....
e (bright spots) are named after island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s on Earth that are not politically independent. Groups of faculae are named after archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
s on Earth.
| Facula | Latitude | Longitude | Named after | Informal name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antilia Faculae | 11.0 S | 187.0 W | Antillia Antillia Antillia is a legendary island that was reputed, during the 15th century age of exploration, to lie in the Atlantic Ocean, far to the west of Portugal and Spain... , mythical Atlantic archipelago |
|
| Bazaruto Facula | 11.6 N | 16.1 W | Bazaruto Bazaruto Island Bazaruto is a sandy island located approximately southeast of the mouth of the Save River, Mozambique . It is the largest island in the Bazaruto Archipelago and in the Bazaruto National Park.... , Mozambique Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest... island |
|
| Coats Facula | 11.1 S | 29.2 W | Coats Island Coats Island Coats Island lies at the northern end of Hudson Bay in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut. At in size, it is the 107th largest island in the world, and Canada's 24th largest island.... , Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
|
| Crete Facula | 9.4 N | 150.1 W | Crete Crete Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits... , Greek Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... island |
|
| Elba Facula | 10.8 S | 1.2 W | Elba Elba Elba is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino. The largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, Elba is also part of the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago and the third largest island in Italy after Sicily and Sardinia... , Italian Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... island |
|
| Kerguelen Facula | 5.4 S | 151.0 W | Kerguelen Islands Kerguelen Islands The Kerguelen Islands , also known as the Desolation Islands, are a group of islands in the southern Indian Ocean constituting the emerged part of the otherwise submerged Kerguelen Plateau. The islands, along with Adélie Land, the Crozet Islands and the Amsterdam and Saint Paul Islands are part of... , French France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... subantarctic island |
|
| Mindanao Facula | 6.6 S | 174.2 W | Mindanao Mindanao Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The... , Philippine Philippines The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam... island |
'Ireland' |
| Nicobar Faculae | 2.0 N | 159.0 W | Nicobar Islands Nicobar Islands The Nicobar Islands are an archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean... , India India India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world... n archipelago |
|
| Oahu Facula | 5.0 N | 166.7 W | Oahu Oahu Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast... , Hawaii Hawaii Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of... an island |
|
| Santorini Facula | 2.4 N | 145.6 W | Santorini Santorini Santorini , officially Thira , is an island located in the southern Aegean Sea, about southeast from Greece's mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago which bears the same name and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera... , Greek Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... island |
|
| Shikoku Facula Shikoku Facula Shikoku Facula is a region of bright material on Saturn's moon Titan.Shikoku was first seen in Cassini images taken in October 2004 and has been observed several times since. Prior to provisionally receiving an official name in August 2005, this feature was nicknamed "Great Britain", due to its... |
10.4 S | 164.1 W | Shikoku Shikoku is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima... , Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... ese island |
'Great Britain' |
| Sotra Facula Sotra Facula Sotra Facula is a prominent feature on Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. It is believed to be an ice volcano or cryovolcano, forming a roughly circular mountain measuring about across. It has two peaks standing about and high with multiple craters as much as deep... |
12.5 S | 39.8 W | Sotra Sotra Sotra is the name of an archipelago in Hordaland, Norway, just west of Bergen. The largest island is Store Sotra, while the second-largest and most populated is Litlesotra. The latter and part of Store Sotra are part of Fjell, while southern Sotra is part of Sund. Roughly 25,000 people live on Sotra... , Norwegian Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... island |
'The Rose' |
| Texel Facula | 11.5 S | 182.6 W | Texel Texel Texel is a municipality and an island in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the biggest and most populated of the Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea, and also the westernmost of this archipelago, which extends to Denmark... , Dutch Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... island |
'Manhattan' |
| Tortola Facula | 8.8 N | 143.1 W | Tortola Tortola Tortola is the largest and most populated of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. Local tradition recounts that Christopher Columbus named it Tortola, meaning "land of the Turtle Dove". Columbus named the island Santa Ana... , British Virgin Islands British Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands , is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S... |
'The Snail' |
| Vis Facula | 7.0 N | 138.4 W | Vis Vis (island) Vis is the most outerly lying larger Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, and is part of the Central Dalmatian group of islands, with an area of 90.26 km² and a population of 3,617 . Of all the inhabited Croatian islands, it is the farthest from the coast... , Croatia Croatia Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ... n island |
Fluctūs
The term "fluctus" refers to flow terrain. Fluctūs on Titan are named after mythological figures associated with beautyBeauty
Beauty is a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction. Beauty is studied as part of aesthetics, sociology, social psychology, and culture...
.
| Fluctus | Latitude | Longitude | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ara Fluctus | 39.8 N | 118.4 W | Ara the Beautiful Ara the Beautiful Ara the Beautiful is a legendary Armenian hero. He is notable in Armenian literature for the popular legend in which he was so handsome that the Assyrian queen Semiramis waged war against Armenia just to get him.He is sometimes associated with the historical king of Ararat known as Arame who... , Armenia Armenia Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia... n legendary figure |
| Leilah Fluctus | 50.5 N | 77.8 W | Layla Layla and Majnun Layla and Majnun, also known as The Madman and Layla – in Arabic مجنون ليلى or قيس وليلى , in , Leyli və Məcnun in Azeri, Leyla ile Mecnun in Turkish, in Urdu and Hindi – is a classical Arab story, popularized by Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi's... , Persian goddess |
| Rohe Fluctus | 47.3 N | 37.75 W | Rohe Rohe (mythology) In a tradition of the Moriori people of the Chatham Islands, Rohe is the wife of the demi-god Māui. Beautiful Rohe was a sister of the sun, and her face shone. A quarrel arose after Rohe remarked that Māui's face was ugly. Māui then decided that they should change faces. Afterwards Māui used magic... , Māori Maori mythology Māori mythology and Māori traditions are the two major categories into which the legends of the Māori of New Zealand may usefully be divided... goddess |
| Winia Fluctus | 49.0 N | 46.0 W | Winia, Indonesia Indonesia Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an... n first woman |
Flumina
A flumen is a feature that looks like a channel carved by liquid. There is one named group of flumina on Titan.| Flumina | Latitude | Longitude | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elivagar Flumina | 19.3 N | 78.5 W | The Élivágar Élivágar In Norse mythology, Élivágar are rivers which existed in Ginnungagap at the beginning of the world. The Prose Edda relates:The eleven rivers traditionally associated with the Élivágar include the Svöl, Gunnthrá, Fjörm, Fimbulthul, Slíd, Hríd, Sylgr, Ylgr, Víd, Leiptr and Gjöll , although many... , a group of ice rivers in Norse mythology Norse mythology Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving... |
Insulae
Insulae are islands within Titan's 'seas'. They are named after legendary islands.| Insula | Latitude | Longitude | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mayda Insula | 79.1 N | 312.2 W | Mayda Mayda Mayda is a non-existent island in the North Atlantic that has been shown on several published maps at various points in history. It was most often represented as being crescent-shaped and its position has varied widely over time... , legendary island in the northeast Atlantic |
Labrynthi
Labrynthi are named after planets from the fictional Dune universeDune universe
Dune is a science fiction franchise which originated with the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbert. Considered by many to be the greatest science fiction novel of all time, Dune is frequently cited as the best-selling science fiction novel in history...
created by Frank Herbert
Frank Herbert
Franklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. Although a short story author, he is best known for his novels, most notably Dune and its five sequels...
.
| Labyrinthus | Latitude | Longitude | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sikun Labyrinthus | 77.9 S | 28.9 W | Sikun |
Lacūs
Lacūs (plural form of lacus used in Titan geological nomenclature) are hydrocarbon lakes.
Large ringed features
Large ring features are named after deities of wisdom in world mythology.| Ring feature | Latitude | Longitude | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guabonito Guabonito (Titan) Guabonito is ring of bright features on Saturn's moon Titan. Guabonito was first seen in Cassini images taken in October 2004 and has been observed several times since. This ringed features, 90 kilometers across, is located in Titan's Shangri-la dark region, near the boundary with Xanadu, and is... |
10.9 S | 150.8 W | Guabonito, Taíno Taíno people The Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is thought that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawak people of South America... sea goddess |
| Nath | 30.5 S | 7.7 W | Irish Irish mythology The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branch and the Historical Cycle. There are... goddess of wisdom |
| Paxsi | 5.0 N | 341.2 W | Aymara goddess of the moon and wisdom |
| Veles | 2.0 N | 137.3 W | Veles Veles (god) Veles also known as Volos is a major Slavic supernatural force of earth, waters and the underworld, associated with dragons, cattle, magic, musicians, wealth and trickery... , Slavic Slavic mythology Slavic mythology is the mythological aspect of the polytheistic religion that was practised by the Slavs before Christianisation.The religion possesses many common traits with other religions descended from the Proto-Indo-European religion.... god |
Maculae
Titanian maculaeMacula (planetary geology)
Macula is the Latin word for 'spot'. It is used in planetary geology to refer to unusually dark areas on the surface of a planet or moon. They are seen on the icy surfaces of Jupiter's moon Europa and Neptune's moon Triton. The term was adopted for planetary geology when high resolution pictures...
(dark spots) are named after deities of happiness, peace, and harmony in world mythology.
| Macula | Latitude | Longitude | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eir Macula | 24.0 S | 114.7 W | Eir Eir In Norse mythology, Eir is a goddess and/or valkyrie associated with medical skill. Eir is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources; the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson; and in skaldic poetry, including a runic... , Norse Norse mythology Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving... goddess. |
| Elpis Macula | 31.2 N | 27.0 W | Elpis Elpis In Greek mythology, Elpis was the personification of hope , perhaps a child of Nyx and mother of Pheme, the goddess of fame, renown and rumor. She was depicted as a young woman, usually carrying flowers or cornucopia in her hands... , Greek Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece... god. |
| Ganesa Macula Ganesa Macula Ganesa Macula is a dark feature on Saturn's moon Titan. It is named after the Hindu god Ganesha.Ganesa has been tentatively identified as a cryovolcanic dome: the result of a mixture of water and ammonia erupting from the center of the dome and spreading out to form a pancake-like deposit.... |
50.0 N | 87.3 W | Ganesa Ganesha Ganesha , also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh, also known as Ganapati , Vinayaka , and Pillaiyar , is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations... , Hindu Hindu Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion... god. |
| Omacatl Macula | 17.6 N | 37.2 W | Omacatl, Aztec Aztec mythology The aztec civilization recognized a polytheistic mythology, which contained the many deities and supernatural creatures from their religious beliefs. "orlando"- History :... god. |
| Polaznik Macula | 41.1 S | 280.4 W | Polaznik, Slavic god Slavic mythology Slavic mythology is the mythological aspect of the polytheistic religion that was practised by the Slavs before Christianisation.The religion possesses many common traits with other religions descended from the Proto-Indo-European religion.... |
| Polelya Macula | 50.0 N | 56.0 W | Polelya, Slavic god |
Planitia
Planitia (low plains) are named after planets from the fictional Dune universeDune universe
Dune is a science fiction franchise which originated with the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbert. Considered by many to be the greatest science fiction novel of all time, Dune is frequently cited as the best-selling science fiction novel in history...
created by Frank Herbert
Frank Herbert
Franklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. Although a short story author, he is best known for his novels, most notably Dune and its five sequels...
.
| Planitia | Latitude | Longitude | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrakis Planitia | 78.4 S | 117.0 W | Arrakis Arrakis Arrakis — informally known as Dune and later called Rakis — is a fictional desert planet featured in the Dune series of novels by Frank Herbert. Herbert's first novel in the series, 1965's Dune, is popularly considered one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time, and it is... |
| Chusuk Planitia | 5.0 S | 23.5 W | Chusuk |
Regiones
RegioRegio
Regio is the Latin word for ‘region’ and the Italian word for ‘royal’It may refer to:*Regio - in planetary geology, a large area of a planet or moon that is strongly differentiated in colour or albedo**A regio of Venus:...
nes (regions distinctly different from their surroundings) are named after deities of peace and happiness.
| Regio | Latitude | Longitude | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotei Regio | 26.0 S | 78.0 W | Budai Budăi Budăi may refer to places in Romania:* Budăi, a village administered by Podu Iloaiei town, Iaşi County* Budăi, hill in the proximity of Călugăreni in Botoşani Countyand to several in Moldova:* Budăi, Taraclia, a commune in Taraclia district... , Chinese/Japanese god |
| Tui Regio Tui Regio Tui Regio is a region on Titan in the southwest corner of Xanadu, named after Tui, a Chinese goddess of happiness, joy and water. Tui appears to lack the erosion channels that mark other highland regions on Titan, suggesting it may be geologically young. Patterns resembling lava flows have also... |
24.5 S | 124.9 W | Tui, Chinese Chinese mythology Chinese mythology is a collection of cultural history, folktales, and religions that have been passed down in oral or written tradition. These include creation myths and legends and myths concerning the founding of Chinese culture and the Chinese state... goddess. |
Virgae
Virgae (streaks of colour) are named after rain gods in world mythologies.| Virga | Latitude | Longitude | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bacab Virgae | 19.0 S | 151.0 W | Bacab Bacab Bacab is the generic Yucatec name for each of the four pre-Spanish, aged Maya deities of the interior of the earth and its water deposits. The Bacabs have more recent counterparts in the lecherous, drunken old thunder deities of the Gulf Coast regions... , Mayan rain god |
| Hobal Virga | 35.0 S | 166.0 W | Hobal, Arabian rain god. |
| Kalseru Virga | 36.0 S | 137.0 W | Kalseru Julunggul In the Australian Aboriginal mythology of Arnhem Land, Julunggul is a rainbow snake goddess, who oversaw the maturing and initiation of boys into manhood... , Australian Aborigine rain god. |
| Perkunas Virgae Perkunas Virgae Perkunas Virgae is a streak of colour on Titan, the natural satellite of Saturn.- Characteristics :Perkunas Virgae is centred at 27° latitude south and 162 longitude west, and measures 980 km at its widest point .- Observation :... |
27.0 S | 162.0 W | Perkūnas Perkunas Perkūnas was the common Baltic god of thunder, one of the most important deities in the Baltic pantheon. In both Lithuanian and Latvian mythology, he is documented as the god of thunder, rain, mountains, oak trees and the sky.-Etymology:... , Lithuanian supreme god |
| Shiwanni Virgae | 25.0 S | 32.0 W | Shiwanni, Zuni Zuni mythology Zuni mythology is the oral history, cosmology, and religion of the Zuni people. The Zuni are a Pueblo people located in New Mexico. Their religion is integrated into their daily lives and respects ancestors, nature, and animals. Due to a history of religious persecution by non-native peoples, they... rain god |
| Uanui Virgae | 45.2 N | 235.3 W | Uanui, Māori rain god |
Informal names for unnamed features
Because the exact nature of many surface features remain mysterious, a number of features have not yet received formal names and are known by nicknames. In most cases, indications of brightness and darkness refer not to visible light, but to the infraredInfrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
images used to look through Titan's obscuring haze. Cassini has also begun to map portions of Titan using radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
.
- 'The Sickle': a large, dark, sickle-shaped region identified by the Hubble Space Telescope.
- 'Dog and Ball', 'Dragon's Head': large, dark, roughly equatorial regions identified by the European Southern ObservatoryEuropean Southern ObservatoryThe European Southern Observatory is an intergovernmental research organisation for astronomy, supported by fifteen countries...
's Very Large TelescopeVery Large TelescopeThe Very Large Telescope is a telescope operated by the European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT consists of four individual telescopes, each with a primary mirror 8.2m across, which are generally used separately but can be used together to...
, named for their distinctive shapes. - 'Si-Si the Cat': a region that appears dark in radar images, named after a researcher's daughter who said it looked like a cat.