Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How did sunlight reflections confirm that Titanâs lakes contain liquid?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
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 presence of liquid in the lakes of Titan was confirmed through the observation of Sun glintsâspecular reflections of sunlightâoff the surfaces of these features. Because these reflections were detected, scientists were able to determine that the lakes are filled with liquid hydrocarbons rather than solid ice or sand, as a smooth liquid surface is required to produce such a distinct reflection.1