Cyclopropenylidene Detected in Atmosphere of Titan

Using high sensitivity spectroscopic observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), astronomers have detected a small cyclic molecule called cyclopropenylidene (C3H2) in the atmosphere of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn.

“When I realized I was looking at cyclopropenylidene, my first thought was, ‘Well, this is really unexpected,” said Dr. Conor Nixon, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

“It’s a very weird little molecule, so it’s not going be the kind you learn about in high school chemistry or even undergraduate chemistry,” said Dr. Michael Malaska, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

“Down here on Earth, it’s not going be something you’re going to encounter.”

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Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute.

This composite image shows an infrared view of Titan. In this image blue represents wavelengths centered at 1.3 microns, green represents 2.0 microns, and red represents 5.0 microns.

A view at visible wavelengths would show only Titan’s hazy atmosphere; the near-infrared wavelengths in this image allow Cassini’s vision to penetrate the haze and reveal the moon’s surface. The view looks toward terrain that is mostly on the Saturn-facing hemisphere of Titan.

Source / Image Courtesy

Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, has a dense atmosphere and is said to be a hive of chemical activity.

The discovery of the molecule in Titan's atmosphere also comes as a surprise because until now, C3H2 has only been found in pockets throughout the galaxy in clouds of gas and dust that float between star systems.

These areas are too cold to facilitate many chemical reactions. Titan's atmosphere is dense and these are hives of chemical activity. NASA says that cyclopropenylidene can react easily with other molecules in this type of atmosphere and that's why scientists are now more interested in this moon.

NASA will send Dragonfly spacecraft to Titan.

Dragonfly: NASA's New Mission to Explore Saturn's Moon Titan

Introducing Dragonfly: our next New Frontiers Mission! Making multiple flights, the Dragonfly dual-quadcopter will explore a variety of locations on Saturn's moon Titan. Titan is an analog to the very early Earth, and can provide clues to how life may have arisen on our planet.

In under an hour, Dragonfly will cover tens of miles or kilometers, farther than any planetary rover has traveled. With one hop per full Titan day (16 Earth days), the rotorcraft will travel from its initial landing site to cover areas several hundred kilometers away during the planned two-year mission.

Despite its unique ability to fly, Dragonfly would spend most of its time on Titan's surface making science measurements.