Britannica Sources used in this answer

What kinds of liquids form lakes on Titan?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Saturn Saturn and its spectacular rings, in a natural-color composite of 126 images taken by the Cassini spacecraft on October 6, 2004. The view is directed toward Saturn's southern hemisphere, which is tipped toward the Sun. Shadows cast by the rings are visible against the bluish northern hemisphere, while the planet's shadow is projected on the rings to the left.

The lakes found on Titan are filled with liquid hydrocarbons.1

Observations from the Cassini-Huygens mission confirmed that these bodies of liquid exist primarily in the moon's north polar region, with at least one smaller lake, Ontario Lacus, observed in the south polar region. While methane is a key component of Titan's environment—acting as a primary agent of erosion and potentially falling as rain—the lakes themselves are characterized as being composed of liquid hydrocarbons.1