Titan's rotation reveals an internal ocean and changing zonal winds |
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Authors: | Lorenz Ralph D Stiles Bryan W Kirk Randolph L Allison Michael D Del Marmo Paolo Persi Iess Luciano Lunine Jonathan I Ostro Steven J Hensley Scott |
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Institution: | Space Department, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA. ralph.lorenz@jhuapl.edu |
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Abstract: | Cassini radar observations of Saturn's moon Titan over several years show that its rotational period is changing and is different from its orbital period. The present-day rotation period difference from synchronous spin leads to a shift of approximately 0.36 degrees per year in apparent longitude and is consistent with seasonal exchange of angular momentum between the surface and Titan's dense superrotating atmosphere, but only if Titan's crust is decoupled from the core by an internal water ocean like that on Europa. |
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