Bright Highlands and Dark Plains
Date: 01 December 2005
Satellite: Huygens
Copyright: ESA/NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/USGS
This is a perspective view of the surface of Saturn's moon Titan near the Huygens probe landing site that includes the bright-dark boundary between the bright highlands and lower dark plains. This provides stereo coverage with a resolution of about 15 metres per pixel and a convergence angle of approximately 15 degrees. The perspective image is colour-coded in altitude with blue representing the lowest altitude and red the highest. The total relief is approximately 150 metres and the area covered is about 1 by 3 kilometres. The valleys exhibiting dark drainages in the brighter higher terrains have steep sides ranging up to approximately 30 degrees.
A stereo pair of images (insert) was acquired from the Huygens descent imager/spectral radiometer. The left image was acquired from 14.8 kilometres above the surface with the high resolution imager; the right from 6.7 kilometres altitude with the medium resolution imager.
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project between NASA, ESA and Italy's ASI space agency.
