Moon of Saturn · Solar System

Titan

Above the horizon all nightHighest after dark 00:49 · south · 40°

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Where is Titan?

Times for LondonChange city

Look south, about 40° up at 00:49 in Cetus.

Rises: 18:34
Highest: 00:47
Sets: 06:59
Best after dark: 00:49 · 40°

Can I see Titan tonight?

Titan always stays within a small fraction of a degree of Saturn, so its position tonight is Saturn’s position.

From London tonight, Titan is above the horizon all night. It’s highest after dark at 00:49, in the south at 40°.

This is position and timing only: clouds, haze and light pollution aren’t included.

What does Titan look like?

Eyes

Not visible.

Binoculars

Out of reach for most binoculars: at around magnitude 8.5 it is close to Saturn’s glare. Large, steady binoculars may show it when it is at its farthest from Saturn.

Telescope

Easy in a small telescope: a star-like point near Saturn, up to about five ring-widths away. It moves around Saturn in about 16 days.

What you’re likely to see, not what a space telescope photographs.

About Titan

Titan is Saturn’s largest moon and the second-largest in the Solar System, wider than the planet Mercury. It was discovered by Christiaan Huygens in 1655.

It is the only moon with a thick atmosphere, mostly nitrogen and denser than Earth’s. An orange haze hides the surface, which is cold enough for methane and ethane to fall as rain and gather in rivers, lakes and seas.

In 2005 the Huygens probe parachuted through that haze and landed on Titan, the most distant landing ever made. NASA’s Dragonfly mission plans to send a flying rotorcraft to explore it in the 2030s.

Titan is the only place in the Solar System, other than Earth, known to have stable bodies of liquid on its surface. Its largest seas, Kraken Mare and Ligeia Mare, lie near its north pole and are filled with liquid hydrocarbons. Beneath its icy crust, scientists think there is also an ocean of liquid water.

Titan takes about 16 days to orbit Saturn. Watching it move from one side of the planet to the other over a couple of weeks is a satisfying small-telescope project.

Saturn and its moons

Questions

Can I see Titan with a small telescope?

Yes. Any telescope that shows Saturn’s rings will show Titan as a point of light nearby.

What is Titan’s surface like?

Icy ground carved by liquid methane and ethane, with dunes, rivers and lakes, hidden beneath an orange haze.

Has anything landed on Titan?

Yes. The Huygens probe landed in 2005 and sent back images and data from the surface.

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Sources: SkyMate; star chart: Wikidata (CC0). Positions computed for your place and time with astronomy-engine. Data & Licences