Titan

Fall 2012: Jeffrey Inouye  **TITAN **

Titan is the second largest moon in our solar system. Titan is Unique because it has a dense atmosphere which makes it hard to observe its surface and the moon has vast lakes of liquid methane. The Cassini orbiter is currently gathering information about the massive moon and will continue to beyond 2015. Surprisingly, the data collected is raising more questions than it is answering.



 Introduction to Titan **Site Name **: Sea and Sky Presents- The Sky __[]__ **Audience **: Suitable for all ages. **Summary **: This website contains general information about the moon Titan. The site uses clear and simple language which makes it useful for 8th grade and above. The general information includes the size, the origins of the name, and information about its discovery. This website contains a wide variety of pictures. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">My Opinion **: This site is very useful as a starting point for anyone researching Titan. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Advanced General Information <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Site Name **: Windows to The Universe (2009) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; vertical-align: auto;">__[]__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Audience **: High school and above. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Summary **: This website contains more advanced and detailed information about Titan. This website is most useful for gathering expanded information because it is full of CURRENT links that are relevant to various topics/ theories surrounding Titan. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">My Opinion **: This website caught my attention because the text included so many links to other topics that it was almost distracting. The links seem to be periodically updated which provides up-to-date info regarding recent discussions, and discoveries. If you don’t understand any of the terminology or vocabulary, the links provided will lead you to pages which will help to clarify. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Animation of Titan’s Interior <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Site Name **: NASA –CassiniMission. (2008). <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; vertical-align: auto;">__[]__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Audience **: High school and above. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Summary **: This website focuses on the theories proposed to explain an unexpected shift in Titan’s surface. The Cassini-Huygens Mission collected data on the moon between 2005-2007. The Cassini spacecraft plotted the positions of various landmarks on Titan’s surface but over time analysis showed that the landmarks had shifted significantly with no known explanation. The theory is that there may be a layer of liquid water under the entire surface which is causing land masses to rotate at an unexpected rate. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">My Opinion **: I would use this site for more detailed projects. The article is scholarly in nature which makes it credible for any formal research paper. The Article is short and the topic is narrow, but the possible presence of liquid water on such a large moon could change common-held beliefs of how rare liquid water is in the universe.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Organic Building Blocks On Titan <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff9900; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 21px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">? <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Site Name **: The Daily Galaxy (2009). <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; vertical-align: auto;">__[]__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Audience **: High school and above. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Summary **: This website contains information about the possible discovery of organic building blocks in Titan’s upper-atmosphere. The site also contains a quality x-ray picture of the vast lakes of liquid methane and additional links. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">My Opinion **: The article on this website is detailed but uses scientific terminology and a lot of statistics which may be intimidating to some. However, the discovery of organic materials on any celestial body is monumental and worth noting in any research assignment.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: initial;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">The Cassini-Huygens Mission <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; vertical-align: auto;">__[]__
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Site Name **: CaliforniaScienceCenter (2011).
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Audience **: Suitable for all ages.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Summary **: This website has everything you would want to know about the Cassini-Huygens mission. The site includes the complete history of the mission and all technical specifications of the spacecraft. There are also pictures of the spacecraft and a collection of links to related topics. The site also has a link to “Kids Space” which is a Cassini site made just for kids.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">My Opinion **: This site is very informational but is solely dedicated to the Cassini missions. The best thing about the site is that it is kept up-to-date. The site claims they are the “internet authority on the Cassini mission”.

=<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">Titan: Saturn's Largest Moon = -This page contains tons of useful information, charts, sound clips, and extra related links. http://www.planetary.org/explore/topics/saturn/titan.html **Opinion**: I think that this site is full of research information that is different from most webpages. It gives a bunch of charts and extra links with related topics. The only things missing that could be useful are images and the mythological story of Titan. Entry Added By: Liz Fordahl Spring 2009
 * Author**: The Planetary Society
 * Date Reviewed**: April 9, 2009
 * Intended Audience**: Amateur/ General
 * Useful for**: Students/ Teachers/ Anybody Interested
 * Summary**: This webpage is neat because it has an audio clip of the sounds recorded from Titan landers which is something I haven't seen yet reviewing pages. I'm not sure how useful this would be, but along with each clip is a description of the sounds that you are hearing. Like most informational pages, this site includes basic data regarding Titan such as size, orbital radius/period, and discovery. Also, it shows a chart comparing surface temperature/pressure, major/minor gases and cloud layers of Titan with those of Earth. It touches on the components in Titan's atmosphere and the possibility that there is a methane cycle similar to Earth's water cycle. Another large chart is shown as well with information about every flyby done around Titan. Within the "Flyby" header is a list of the new naming scheme for surface features discovered by the current spacecraft Cassini.

=<span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Saturn's Moon Titan** = [] **Author:** Calvin J Hamilton **Date Reviewed:** 4/22/2009 **Intended Audience:** General Public/Amateur **Review:** Easy to navigate, lots of information and quite a few pictures make this a very good place to start when looking for information on Titan. Information is presented well, and no special knowledge is required to understand it. Images are divided into two sections, images from the Cassini probe and images from the Huygens probe. All images have captions descriptive of what is seen in the image, and how the image was obtained. Also contains equally good information on a number of Saturn's other moons. Overall this is a good website for basic Titan information and images.
 * Accuracy:** The table given on the initial page provides very accurate numbers and measurements about Titan. From its mass to its atmospheric pressure, the numbers are listed beside each category and provided with a unit of measurement. Though the last updated date is unknown, the information seems to be the same from other comparable websites.

=**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Composition Of Titan **=

[]
 * Site Name:** Windows to the Universe
 * Author:** Windows to the Universe
 * Date Reviewed:** 5/11/2012
 * Reviewed by:** Phillip Awayan
 * Audience:** Intended for audiences of High School and Higher
 * Accuracy:** The information seems accurate and up to date with measurements from space probes that have visited or flown by. The information is given in precise numbers and names of materials found in Titan.
 * Readability and Clarity:** The language being used on this page is quite simple to understand. It does what it intends to do by delivery information about the interior composition of Titan. The page is not too wordy and gets directly to the point of the subject.
 * Ease of Navigation:** This page is easy to find in any search engine. Once on the page, it gives assisting links to each element of the object being explained. For example an additional link within the text is given to learn more about Titan's atmosphere and other elements found on its surface and interior. On the side panel, there are other links that associate with learning more about Titan's internal structure. A side link titled "How can we tell Titan is icy inside?" is given as another tool to learn more.
 * Review:** Overall, the page is easy to navigate and find answers to simple questions. It is a great starting point when learning the basics about a new object. The page is clean and clear enough to read and understand. There are associated links to follow and support the information given on the initial page, which aides in finding more information about Titan's composition, atmosphere and interior structure. However, there are more details about Titan that is not given and a researcher will need to do more studying to find out more.

=**"Boat" Could Explore the Oceans of Titan?**=

[]
 * Site Name:** The Guardian
 * Author:** Alok Jha, Science Correspondent
 * Date Reviewed:** 5/11/12
 * Date Updated:** Wednesday April 25, 2012
 * Reviewed by:** Phillip Awayan
 * Audience:** College Students
 * Accuracy:** The author talks about a possible space mission to the moon Titan and how it may be possible. It is accurate in terms of the discussions and possibilities that could happen if we were to embark on this mission; whether or not it is going to happen, is still yet to be determined.
 * Readability and Clarity:** The information is quite dense in terms of understanding the language and comprehending the material being given. The reader must take their time in understanding the language and reading the information being given about the subject. The point of the article could not simply be achieved by skimming across the passages. In terms of the layout and overall view of the content, it is clean and organized well between thoughts and subjects.
 * Ease of Navigation:** The page could only be found if you were looking for this specific subject of exploring the moon Titan. If you were to search Titan in a general field, you probably would not come across this page without having to jump from a few websites. Upon arriving on the page, it is fairly simply to navigate your way through the webpage.
 * Review:** I find this page very interesting to learn about the possibilities of future space missions into our Solar System. Titan is one of the few objects near us that has a notable atmosphere, and exploring the future missions to come can benefit us. The author gives a different perspective on how this would actually come about, and it might be something we can see in our lifetime.

=**Voyage to Saturn**= []

= =
 * Site Name:** National Geographic
 * Author:** Bill Doulhitt
 * Date Reviewed:** 5/11/12
 * Date Updated:** December 2006
 * Reviewed by:** Phillip Awayan
 * Audience:** High School Students and above
 * Accuracy:** The author gives accurate information about Titan and its features. It is obvious that he has done his research in providing information that is true
 * Readability and Clarity:** The language is not hard to understand as you read across the article. However, each new subject is not clearly separated from each topic and the article seems a bit lengthy for other readers. This article is found in a National Geographic and is written accordingly to the magazine.
 * Ease of Navigation:** There are no other links inserted within the texts. The page itself is easy to view and navigate from beginning to end. When inserted in a search engine, it is easily accessible to anyone who is searching for an article about Titan.

=**Titan: A Moon With Atmosphere**=

[]
 * Site Name:** Astrobiology Magazine
 * Author:** Chris McKay
 * Date Reviewed:** May 14, 2012
 * Date Updated:** October 27, 2005
 * Reviewed by:** Phillip Awayan
 * Audience:** General Public
 * Accuracy:** The author's information is accurate according to recent research at the time. He approaches the topic objectively rather than inserting opinionated responses.
 * Readability and Clarity:** The author is a planetary scientist and gives an understandable approach in learning about Titan's atmosphere. The page is laid out in a paragraph by paragraph explanation of Titan's descriptions. Each portion is separated by a space to make each point different from the last segment. There are also pictures to aid visually when learning about this certain topic.
 * Ease of Navigation:** The page is easy to navigate through without any other links to access the information. The page scrolls down to the end of the article and does not need to succeed to another page to continue.

=**Site Name: Space.com**= []


 * Author:** Tarik Malik
 * Date Reviewed:** May 14, 2012
 * Date Updated:** May 09, 2006
 * Reviewed by:** Phillip Awayan
 * Audience:** General Public
 * Accuracy:** The writer of this article covered all the main points about the Huygens Probe landing within Titan's Atmosphere. He did a good job introducing the subject before diving into each topic. I felt that the writer did very well in stating the facts that were given during the mission.
 * Readability and Clarity:** The article itself is neatly organized and was not cluttered with too much information. Each new topic about the exploration was divided into a sub-heading, which provided a better understanding in the different aspects of the mission. The writer's language was clear and concise. Sources were cited as necessary at the end of the article.
 * Ease of Navigation:** This page is fairly easy to find in any popular search engine. The webpage itself is easily accessible for anyone seeking to learn about this mission on Titan. The page includes useful links at the bottom from other sources. There is also a video provided to aid in the understanding of the article. However, there are other links on the side bar that are not essential to the topic and seem to just be advertisements of other websites.


 * Name of Website:** nineplanets.org
 * URL:** [[[]]]
 * Author:** Bill Arnett, Individual, information is classified as reliable and most of the images on the site are from NASA.
 * Last Updated:** May 27, 2005
 * Date Reviewed:** November 26, 2012
 * Reviewed By:** Jeffrey Inouye
 * Accuracy:** Nineplanets gives an over view of Titan, giving brief to the point information. The information given is enough to satisfy curiosity about Titan but does not go into depth in any specific area.
 * Readability:** Students. The cite gives simple definitions for topics when possible. When a more complicated answer is needed and goes outside the average knowledge base of an individual, a links is provided with a definition. This gives the site an easy to read feel and makes it appropriate for just about any reader.
 * Ease of Navigation:** Nineplanets.org has an easy to use interface and the site is mostly internal, meaning that most of the links lead to different pages but remain on nineplanets.org. There are a few links that lead to out side sites for additional information about various objects.


 * Name of Website: NASA Science: Science News**
 * URL:** [[[]]]
 * Author:** Dr. Tony Phillips
 * Last Updated:** June 28, 2012
 * Date Reviewed:** November 26, 2012
 * Reviewed By:** Jeffrey Inouye
 * Accuracy: T**his cite gives information on educated guesses about the interior structure of Titan and what could be there. Keeping that in mind I believe this cite is accurate given what little information is actually known about the subject.
 * Readability:** Astronomers. The cite uses words that the average person may have trouble understanding, while an astronomer would understand it more clearly. In this cases i believe the cite uses appropriate terms and words usage for the appropriate audience.
 * Ease of Navigation:** The interface of this cite is easy enough, but if you wanted to get from the homepage to this particular page on the cite you would need to know what to look for and where to look for it. The search engine on the cite does make it a bit easier to find things assuming you already know what you are looking for.


 * Name of Website:** Solar System Quick: Titan Moon Facts
 * URL:** [[[]]]
 * Author:** Unknown
 * Last Updated:** Unknown
 * Date Reviewed:** November 26, 2012
 * Reviewed By:** Jeffrey Inouye
 * Accuracy:** The information on this cite is useful but very scarce compared to other cites. This cite covers the very basics and not much more than that.
 * Readability:** Student. The cite offers primarily facts, no extra content to confuse or misguide any reader. This makes the cite easy to read and follow for any reader.
 * Ease of Navigation:** This cite is easy to navigate from whatever page you are on. It is easy to scroll down the category and find the subject you are looking for.


 * Name of Website:** Nothing but the Facts About Titan
 * URL:** [[[]]]
 * Author:** Jason C. Chavis
 * Last Updated:** April 6, 2011
 * Date Reviewed:** November 26, 2012
 * Reviewed By:** Jeffrey Inouye
 * Accuracy:** The information is accurate but questionable due to that the cite is like a wiki, meaning that the cite has multiple references. The cite is not like wiki in the sense that only certain people can edit the information.
 * Readability:** The cite is mostly bullet point information about Titan and the only actual text gives information about the similarities of Titan and Earth. The textual information is labeled as interesting facts about Titan.
 * Ease of Navigation:** The search engine is fairly slow but is useful. It will give every page on the cite that has the key word you search for.


 * Name of Website:** RT.com
 * URL:** [[[]]]
 * Author:** Unknown
 * Last Updated:** June 29, 2012
 * Date Reviewed:** November 26, 2012
 * Reviewed By:** Jeffrey Inouye
 * Accuracy:** The information is reliable but the text feels like an article compared to being informative. The information on this cite is as good as any other cite.
 * Readability:** Adult. This is an article reading just like a newspaper. Keeping that in mind, this cite is good and is easy to read.
 * Ease of Navigation:** Trying to find this page through the search engine is hard. This has to do to the wide variety of subjects the cite covers and each subject has their own sub-group. THis makes this cite difficult to navigate and harder still to find something specific.