Summary: Nath is a large ringed feature on Titan's Saturn-facing side that lies in northeastern Tsegihi, a bright albedo feature in the southern mid-latitudes.
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| Detail of Titan With ISS (Imaging Science Subsystem) Background shows Guabonito (upper right) as southern equatorial-southern middle latitude straddler in northeastern Tsegihi: map credit NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute, via IAU/USGS Astrogeology Science Center Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature |
Nath is a large ringed feature on Titan's Saturn-facing side that lies in northeastern Tsegihi, a bright albedo feature centered in the Titanean southern hemisphere's middle latitudes.
Nath is centered at minus 30.5 degrees south latitude, 7.7 degrees west longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. It obtains northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 29.5 degrees south and minus 31.6 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes occur at 6.5 degrees west and 8.8 degrees west, respectively. Nath's diameter measures 95 kilometers.
The large ringed feature's northern boundary places it within the southern low latitudes of Titan's equatorial belt. Its southern border reaches into the Titanean southern hemisphere's middle latitudes.
Large ringed features are described as "Cryptic ringed features," according to the Descriptor Terms (Feature Types) page of the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The online gazetter is provided by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN) and is maintained by The Planetary Geomatics Group of the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) Astrogeology Science Center.
Titan claims four named large ringed features. All four large ringed features are associated with Titan's equatorial belt. Nath, however, is the only large ringed feature with a border that straddles the equatorial belt and the middle latitudes.
Paxsi lies to the northeast in the northern equatorial latitudes. It is sited on bright terrain between dark albedo feature Aaru, to the north, and dark albedo feature Senkyo, to the south.
Paxsi is centered at 5 degrees north latitude, 341.2 degrees west longitude. Paxsi marks its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at 6.7 degrees north and 3.7 degrees north, respectively. It posts easternmost and westernmost longitudes of 339.8 degrees west and 342.6 degrees west, respectively. Paxsi's diameter measures 120 kilometers.
Titan's planetographic coordinate system numbers longitude westward from the Saturnian moon's prime meridian, 0 degrees longitude. Paxsi's location in the high western longitudes, 18.8 degrees of longitude east of the prime meridian, qualifies it not only as Nath's nearest large ringed neighbor but also as the only large ringed feature lying to the east of Nath.
Veles resides to the northwest as Nath's second closest large ringed feature. It is located near the eastern margins of dark albedo feature Shangri-La.
Veles is centered at 2 degrees north latitude, 137.3 degrees west longitude. Its northernmost and southernmost latitudes touch 2.4 degrees north and 1.6 degrees north, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes reach 136.9 degrees west and 137.8 degrees west, respectively. Veles has a diameter of 45 kilometers.
Guabonito, Nath's third closest large ringed feature, lies to the northwest of Nath. Guabonito neighbors to the southwest of Veles in eastern Shangri-La.
Guabonito is centered at minus 10.9 degrees south latitude, 150.8 degrees west longitude. It records northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 10.2 degrees south and minus 11.5 degrees south, respectively. It registers easternmost and westernmost longitudes of 149.8 degrees west and 151.3 degrees west, respectively. Guabonito has a diameter of 55 kilometers.
Nath's location as a straddler of the southernmost equatorial latitude and the northernmost southern middle latitudes places it in northeastern Tsegihi, a bright albedo feature in the southern hemisphere. Tsegihi is centered at minus 40 degrees south latitude, 10 degrees west longitude.
Tsegihi's center coordinates qualify the bright albedo feature as one of only two Titanean albedo features that are centered outside the equatorial belt. The other 11 of Titan's 13 albedo features are all centered on the equatorial belt.
Tsegihi's southern neighbor, Mezzoramia, joins Tsegihi in centering outside the equatorial belt. The south polar region dark albedo feature is centered at minus 70 degrees south latitude, 0 degrees longitude.
The International Astronomical Union approved Nath's name in 2006. The Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature describes Nath as "Irish goddess of wisdom." Titan's craters and large ringed features are named after "Gods and goddesses of wisdom," according to the Gazetter of Planetary Nomenclature's documentation page, "Categories (Themes) for Naming Features on Planets and Satellites."
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| Detail of Titan With ISS (Imaging Science Subsystem) Background shows Nath (upper right) as southern equatorial-middle latitude occupant that lies 7.7 degrees west of Titan's prime meridian: map credit NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute, via IAU/USGS Astrogeology Science Center Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature |
Acknowledgment
My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.
Dedication
Dedication
This post is dedicated to the memory of our beloved blue-eyed brother, Charles, who guided the creation of the Met Opera and Astronomy posts on Earth and Space News. We memorialized our brother in "Our Beloved Blue-Eyed Brother, Charles, With Whom We Are Well Pleased," published on Earth and Space News on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, an anniversary of our beloved father's death.
Image credits:
Image credits:
Detail of Titan With ISS (Imaging Science Subsystem) Background shows Nath (upper right) in eastern Shangri-La: map credit NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute, via IAU/USGS Astrogeology Science Center Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/Titan_comp_ISSimage.pdf
Detail of Titan With ISS (Imaging Science Subsystem) Background shows Nath (upper right) as southern equatorial-middle latitude occupant that lies 7.7 degrees west of Titan's prime meridian: map credit NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute, via IAU/USGS Astrogeology Science Center Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/Titan_comp_ISSimage.pdf
For further information:
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
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
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
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
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Page/TITAN/target
International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). “Guabonito.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 1, 2006.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/7017
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/7017
International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). “Mezzoramia.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 1, 2006.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/6987
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/6987
International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). “Nath.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 1, 2006.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/7018
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/7018
International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). “Paxsi.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct 15, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14781
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14781
International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). “Veles.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Dec. 30, 2008.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/7019
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/7019
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
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/6991
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