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Titan

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Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

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Synonyms

Titan as an Earth analog; Titan bioastronomy; Titan exobiology; Titan organic chemistry

Definition

Titan, Saturn’s moon, is the second largest and only satellite of the solar system having a dense atmosphere composed essentially of dinitrogen (~97%) and methane (~2%). These two molecules give rise to a host of organic compounds, rendering Titan one of the most astrobiologically interesting bodies. In addition, Titan is subject to the effects of seasons and meteorology, shaping the geomorphology of the surface, with unique hydrocarbon liquid bodies and other terrestrial-like features (dunes, channels, mountains). With these properties and the probable existence of an internal liquid water ocean, Titan is a very promising Earth analog which can inform us about the emergence and evolution of life.

Introduction

Astrobiology, the study of life in the universe, is not only the study of the origins, distribution, and evolution of life in the whole universe but also that of structures...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire d’Etudes Spatiales et d’Instrumentation en Astrophysique (LESIA), Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, Univ. Paris-Diderot, Meudon Cedex, France

    Athena Coustenis

  2. LISA – UMR CNRS/IPSL, Faculté des Sciences et Technologie, Université Paris Est-Créteil & Denis Diderot, Créteil, France

    François Raulin

Authors
  1. Athena Coustenis
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  2. François Raulin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Athena Coustenis .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  2. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA

    William M. Irvine

  3. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  6. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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Coustenis, A., Raulin, F. (2019). Titan. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1594-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1594-3

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Titan
    Published:
    13 April 2019

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1594-3

  2. Original

    Titan
    Published:
    28 April 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1594-2

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