Titan Has Five High Albedo Features That Brighten Its Surface

Summary: Titan has five high albedo features that brighten its surface, with four centered in the equatorial belt and one centered outside the equatorial belt.

Detail of Titan VIMS (Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer) Map shows (left) bright albedo feature Xanadu's occupancy of both anti-Saturn and Saturn-facing sides; (center) Quivira's and Tsegihi's occupancy on Saturn-facing side; and (upper right) Dilmun's and Adiri's occupancy of Titan's anti-Saturn side; map credit NASA/JPL/University of Arizona: no known copyright restrictions, via IAU-USGS Astrogeology Science Center's Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature

Titan has five high albedo features that brighten its surface, with two centered in the northern equatorial belt, two centered in the southern equatorial belt and one centered outside the southern equatorial belt.

The high reflectivity of Titan's five named bright albedo features shine the Saturnian moon's surface. Adiri, Dilmun, Quivira, Tsegihi and Xanadu are the five albedo features that contribute brightness to the moon's surface. Four of the five bright albedo features are centered in the equatorial belt. Only Tsegihi is centered outside of the equatorial belt.

Titan's planetographic coordinate system of numbering longitude in degrees west of the prime meridian finds successively farther west placements of Xanadu, Dilmun and Adiri with respect to prime meridian neighbor Quivira. Prime meridian neighbor Tsegihi's location is south of Quivira and southeast of the other three.

Adiri lies to the southwest of Dilmun and to the west of Xanadu and Quivira. Adiri is positioned to the northwest of Tsegihi.

Adiri is centered at minus 10 degrees south latitude, 210 degrees west longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The southern equatorial belt-centered bright albedo feature's center coordinates are repeated as its northernmost and southernmost latitudes and easternmost and westernmost longitudes. Adiri's diameter, entered as zero, is likewise unspecified.

Dilmun is sited to the northwest of Quivira, Tsegihi and Xanadu. It is located to the northeast of Adiri.

Dilmun is centered at 15 degrees north latitude, 175 degrees west longitude. The Gazetteer repeats the northern equatorial belt-centered bright albedo feature's center coordinates as its northernmost-southernmost latitudes and easternmost-westernmost longitudes. Dilmun's diameter is listed at zero.

Quivira is positioned as the closest of the four equatorial belt-centered bright albedo features to Titan's prime meridian. Tsegihi is located to the south of Quivira. Xanadu and Adiri have southwesterly placements with respect to Quivira. Northern equatorial belt-centered Dilmun lies to the northwest of Quivira.

Quivira is centered latitudinally on the equator, at 0 degrees latitude. Its center longitude is established at 15 degrees west longitude. The equator-centered bright albedo feature's center coordinates are repeated as its northernmost-southernmost latitudes and easternmost-westernmost longitudes. Quivira's diameter is identified as zero.

Tsegihi occurs as the only non-equatorial belt-centered bright albedo feature. Its centering outside of the equatorial belt gives it a southerly placement with respect to Quivira and southeasterly distances from Xanadu, Dilmun and Adiri.

Tsegihi is centered at minus 40 degrees south latitude, 10 degrees west longitude. The southern middle latitude-centered bright albedo feature's centered coordinates are listed as its northernmost-southernmost latitudes and easternmost-westernmost longitudes. Zero is given as Tsegihi's diameter.

Tsegihi joins Quivira as the two bright albedo features that are in proximity to Titan's prime meridian. Tsegihi's longitude of 10 degrees west places it closer to the prime meridian than Quivira's longitude of 15 degrees west.

Xanadu lies to the west of Quivira and to the northwest of Tseghi. Its location places it to the southeast of Dilmun and east of Adiri.

Xanadu is centered at minus 15 degrees south latitude, 100 degrees west longitude. The Gazetteer provides a complete profile of southern equatorial belt-centered bright albedo feature. Its northernmost and southernmost latitudes stretch to 10 degrees north and minus 40 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes extend to 65 degrees west and 150 degrees west, respectively. Xanadu's diameter spans 3,400 kilometers.

Titan's same-faced showing with respect to its parent planet expresses the equivalent durations of the Saturnian moon's orbital and rotational periods. Titan's near side always faces Saturn. Titan's far side, known as its anti-Saturn side, always turns away from Saturn.

Two of Titan's five bright albedo features occupy the Saturnian moon's Saturn-facing side. Quivira's and Tsegihi's placements near the prime meridian assure their residence on Titan's Saturn-facing side.

Two of Titan's five bright albedo features are found on Titan's anti-Saturn side. Dilmun's center latitude of 175 degrees west longitude places it in proximity to Titan's anti-meridian, located, opposite the prime meridian, at 180 degrees west longitude. Adiri's center latitude of 210 degrees west longitude approaches the anti-meridian by only 30 degrees.

One of Titan's five bright albedo features primarily lies on Titan's anti-Saturn side but its immensity extends over the trailing limb to establish territory on Titan's Saturn-facing side. Xanadu's center latitude of 100 degrees west longitude and westernmost longitude of 150 degrees place its central and western regions on Titan's anti-Saturn side. Xanadu's easternmost longitude of 65 degrees gives eastern Xanadu 25 degrees of occupancy on Titan's leading hemisphere.

Titan's five named bright albedo features distinguish themselves with individualized profiles. Adiri and Xanadu are both centered in the southern equatorial belt. Yet, Adiri is sited on Titan's anti-Saturn side while Xanadu's immensity finds territory on both sides. Proximity to Titan's prime meridian guarantees Saturn-side occupancy for equator-centered Quivira and southern middle latitude-centered Tsegihi.

Detail of Titan With ISS (Imaging Science Subsystem) Backgroun Map shows equatorial belt dominance of bright albedo features (left to right: Adiri, Dilmun, Xanadu and Quivira) and southern middle latitude occupancy of Tsegihi; map credit NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute: no known copyright restrictions, via IAU-USGS Astrogeology Science Center's Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Detail of Titan VIMS (Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer) Map shows (left) bright albedo feature Xanadu's occupancy of both anti-Saturn and Saturn-facing sides; (center) Quivira's and Tsegihi's occupancy on Saturn-facing side; and (upper right) Dilmun's and Adiri's occupancy of Titan's anti-Saturn side; map credit NASA/JPL/University of Arizona: no known copyright restrictions, via IAU-USGS Astrogeology Science Center's Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/titan_VIMS_comp.pdf

Detail of Titan With ISS (Imaging Science Subsystem) Backgroun Map shows equatorial belt dominance of bright albedo features (left to right: Adiri, Dilmun, Xanadu and Quivira) and southern middle latitude occupancy of Tsegihi; map credit NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute: no known copyright restrictions, via IAU-USGS Astrogeology Science Center's Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/Titan_comp_ISSimage.pdf

For further information:

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Categories (Themes) for Naming Features on Planets and Satellites.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Documentation > Surface Feature Categories.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Page/Categories

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Coordinate Systems for Planets and Satellites.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Documentation > Target Coordinate Systems.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/TargetCoordinates

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Descriptor Terms (Feature Types).” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Documentation > Descriptor Terms.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/DescriptorTerms

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Target: Titan.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Saturn.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Page/TITAN/target

International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). “Adiri.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 1, 2006.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/6982

International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). “Dilmun.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 1, 2006.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/6986

International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). “Quivira.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 1, 2006.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/6988

International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). “Tsegihi.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 1, 2006.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/6991

International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). “Xanadu.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 1, 2006.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/6958

Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "PIA10565: This Side of Paradise." NASA JPL Photojournal. Image addition date 2009-01-27.
Available @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA10565

Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "PIA11542: Enchanted Titan." NASA JPL Photojournal. Image addition date 2009-07-23.
Available @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA11542

Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "PIA11560: Low Albedo Foursome." NASA JPL Photojournal. Image addition date 2009-08-18.
Available @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA11560

Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "PIA12531: Dark Quartet." NASA JPL Photojournal. Image addition date 2010-01-20.
Available @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA12531

Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "PIA13330: Mountains North of Aaru on Titan." NASA JPL Photojournal. Image addition date 2010-08-12.
Available @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA13330

Marriner, Derdriu. "Cassini Narrow Angle Camera Imaged South Pole During First Titan Flyby." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, July 4, 2012.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2012/07/cassini-narrow-angle-camera-imaged.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Cassini Wide Angle Camera Imaged South Pole During First Titan Flyby." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, July 11, 2012.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2012/07/cassini-wide-angle-camera-imaged-south.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Cassini-Huygens Mission Map Identifies 12 Titanean Mountains." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2013/02/cassini-huygens-mission-map-identifies.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Christiaan Huygens Discovered Saturnian Satellite Titan March 25, 1655." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, March 21, 2012.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2012/03/christiaan-huygens-discovered-saturnian.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Jingpo Lacus Glints During Cassini Orbiter’s Titan Flyby July 8, 2009." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, June 26, 2013.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2013/06/jingpo-lacus-glints-during-cassini.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer VIMS Shows Titanean Surface." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, March 29, 2012.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2012/03/visible-and-infrared-mapping.html