Science Series To Discuss Saturn’s Moon Titan

By  //  March 19, 2014

free presentation march 28 at 8 p.m.

ABOVE VIDEO: It’s just like home. Titan is the largest moon of Saturn and the only moon in our solar system known to have a dense atmosphere. It’s also the only object besides Earth where oceans of liquid are found on the surface.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Florida Institute of Technology’s Catherine Neish will present “Saturn’s Moon Titan: Earth in the Freezer Aisle” at 8 p.m. March 28 in the Olin Engineering Building auditorium in the latest installment of the university’s Community Science Lecture Series.

Florida Institute of Technology’s Catherine Neish will present “Saturn’s Moon Titan: Earth in the Freezer Aisle” at 8 p.m. March 28 in the Olin Engineering Building auditorium in the latest installment of the university’s Community Science Lecture Series.
Florida Institute of Technology’s Catherine Neish will present “Saturn’s Moon Titan: Earth in the Freezer Aisle” at 8 p.m. March 28 in the Olin Engineering Building auditorium in the latest installment of the university’s Community Science Lecture Series.

In this free presentation, Neish will summarize the recent discoveries made by the Cassini-Huygens mission at Titan, and explore the extent to which prebiotic chemistry can proceed on its surface.

Following the lecture, at approximately 9 p.m. weather permitting, Florida Tech’s Student Astronomical Society will open the 32-inch Ortega telescope for public viewing. Three smaller telescopes will be on hand, as well.

In this free presentation, Catherine Neish will summarize the recent discoveries made by the Cassini-Huygens mission at Titan, and explore the extent to which prebiotic chemistry can proceed on its surface.

Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, is a complex and strangely Earth-like world. The Cassini-Huygens mission has revealed rivers of liquid hydrocarbons carved into its icy landscape, large seas of organic sand dunes, and volcanoes spewing lava made of water.

With a surface temperature of minus 290 degrees Fahrenheit, Titan resembles Earth in a deep freeze. Its dense atmosphere of nitrogen and methane also supports a complex organic chemistry, potentially reminiscent of the environment that led to the origin of life on Earth.

Those interested in some hands-on astronomy and who have a telescope or are thinking about getting one are invited to attend the Melbourne Astronomical Society meeting at 6:30 p.m. on March 28 in Room 144 of the Olin Physical Sciences Building.

For more information call 321-674-7207.

ONLY INDEPENDENT, TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY IN SOUTHEAST

Founded at the dawn of the Space Race in 1958, Florida Tech is the only independent, technological university in the Southeast.

The Panthers’ women’s varsity eight is also competing this afternoon in the petite finals. They were scheduled to race at 2:48 p.m. against Orange Coast and Rollins.

The university is ranked in the top 200 in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2013-2014, has been named a Barron’s Guide “Best Buy” in College Education, is designated a Tier One Best National University in U.S. News & World Report, is one of just nine schools in Florida lauded by the 2014 Fiske Guide to Colleges and is recognized by Bloomberg Businessweek as the best college for return on investment in Florida.

A recent survey by PayScale.com ranks Florida Tech as the top university in Florida for mid-career salary potential. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs. Fields of study include science, engineering, aeronautics, business, humanities, mathematics, psychology, communication and education.

Additional information is available online at www.fit.edu