Zones of organic molecules in Titan's atmosphere are 'unexpectedly skewed'

Scientists have recently discovered that organic molecules in Titan's atmosphere are enthrallingly shifted away from its north and south poles.

These misaligned features seem to defy conventional thinking about Titan's windy atmosphere, which should quickly smear out such off-axis concentrations.

This discovery, made during a remarkably brief three-minute "snapshot" observation with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), may help astronomers better understand the processes that shape this world's complex chemistry.

Titan's atmosphere has long been of interest because it acts as a chemical factory, using energy from the Sun and Saturn's magnetic field to produce a wide range of organic molecules. Studying this complex chemistry might provide insights into the properties of Earth's very early atmosphere, which might have shared many chemical characteristics with present-day Titan.

The researchers compared the gas concentrations at different levels in the atmosphere. At the highest altitudes, the pockets of organic molecules were shifted away from the poles. These off-pole concentrations are unexpected because the fast-moving, east-west winds in Titan's middle atmosphere should thoroughly mix the molecules formed there.

The researchers do not have an obvious explanation for these findings yet. At the moment, they are considering thermal or other effects tied to interaction with Saturn's powerful magnetic field, which extends far enough to engulf Titan, as potential sources of this skewed molecular concentration.

The study is published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.