Titan’s organic chemistry: A planetary-scale laboratory to study primitive Earth

Authors

  • Athena Coustenis French National Research Center at the Paris Observatory (France).

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.6.4999

Keywords:

Titan, natural satellites, atmosphere, organic chemistry

Abstract

Saturn’s largest satellite, Titan, has been revealed by extended ground-based and space observations, and recently by the Cassini-Huygens mission. Titan’s atmosphere hosts a complex organic chemistry in the solar system starting with nitrogen and methane and leading to the formation of hydrocarbons and nitriles, including prebiotic molecules. The atmosphere also contains traces of oxygen compounds. This system is subject to seasonal variations and different physical, dynamic, and photochemical processes. Interactions between the atmosphere, the surface, and the interior also play an important role in the astrobiological potential of the satellite.

 

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Author Biography

Athena Coustenis, French National Research Center at the Paris Observatory (France).

Director of Research with the CNRS at the Paris Observatory, specializing in planetology and space missions to the outer solar system. She is the President of the Space Sciences Committee of the European Science Foundation and a member of the International Space Science Institute Executive Committee. She is on the Editorial Boards of Astronomy & Astrophysics Review , Astronomy and Astrophysics Library , and Philosophical Transactions A .

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Published

2016-04-15

How to Cite

Coustenis, A. (2016). Titan’s organic chemistry: A planetary-scale laboratory to study primitive Earth. Metode Science Studies Journal, (6), 175–181. https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.6.4999
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Issue

Science grid: The public understanding of science (2016)

Section

On the origin of life. An incomplete scientific story

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