In newly published research, scientists believe they have discovered the secret behind the dunes of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, and how they differ from those on Earth.
According to Space.com, the dunes on Titan seem to form in direct contrast to the moon's winds. Reaching up to 300 feet in height, powerful and short winds form these dunes, unlike the ones in a desert on Earth, which are always forming and reforming over time.
Devon Burr, an associate professor at the University of Tennessee's Earth and Planetary Sciences Department, led a study published in the journal Nature.
"It was surprising that Titan had particles the size of grains of sand-we still don't understand their source-and that it had winds strong enough to move them," he said in a press release. "Before seeing the images, we thought that the winds were likely too light to accomplish this movement."
John Marshall, a co-author on the study and once a Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute colleague of Burr's, said the researchers used a 1980s wind tunnel initially designed to simulate the physics of wind on Venus for their study.
"It was a bear to operate, but Dr. Burr's refurbishment of the facility as a Titan simulator has tamed the beast," Marshall said in a SETI release. "It is now an important addition to NASA's arsenal of planetary simulation facilities."
The study authors could not determine what exactly the sand on Titan was, but were certain that it is not the same stuff on that can be found on Earth.
"Our models started with previous wind speed models but we had to keep tweaking them to match the wind tunnel data," Burr said. "We discovered that movement of sand on Titan's surface needed a wind speed that was higher than what previous models suggested."
