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How did Cassini’s radar map Titan’s cloud-covered surface?
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Titan
Titan, moon of Saturn, photographed by Voyager 2 on August 25, 1981, at a distance of 907,000 km (564,000 miles). Green and violet images were combined to make this photograph, which shows the extended atmosphere of the satellite.
The Cassini orbiter was able to map the cloud-covered surface of Titan by utilizing radar wavelengths, which are capable of penetrating the moon's thick, brownish-red haze.12
Specifically, the spacecraft employed synthetic aperture radar, a technique that uses the motion of the orbiter to simulate a much larger antenna area. This process allows for the creation of high-resolution images of a planetary surface that would otherwise be obscured by an atmosphere. By measuring the signals reflected from the surface, the mission was able to discern topographical features, such as dunes, river channels, and large lakes filled with liquid methane.314