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Moon

Titan

Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, combines a dense atmosphere, hydrocarbon lakes and an icy surface. Its internal structure remains an active research topic.

Verified 2026-10-07

Overview

A moon with its own atmosphere and landscape

Titan is Saturn’s largest satellite and the Solar System’s second largest, after Ganymede. Christiaan Huygens discovered it on 25 March 1655. It is larger than Mercury, although it is a moon. JPL identifies the body with code 606; MOON-ATLAS-SATURN-TITAN is an internal catalogue label, not an official designation.

Size and orbit

JPL lists a mean radius of 2,574.76 km and a mean density of 1.8814 g/cm³. Its orbital semimajor axis is about 1,221,900 km and its reference sidereal period is 15.945448 Earth days. These are mean elements, not a real-time position prediction. Synchronous rotation keeps approximately the same face turned towards Saturn.

Atmosphere and surface liquids

A nitrogen-dominated atmosphere containing methane surrounds the surface and produces thick haze. Surface pressure is approximately 60% greater than Earth’s and the temperature is around −179 °C. In this cold, water forms rigid ice, while methane and ethane can participate in a cycle of clouds, rain, rivers and lakes. Dunes contain dark organic materials; organic does not mean biological.

An interior still under debate

A global underground ocean remains hypothetical: a 2025 reanalysis of Cassini data favours partially melted ice layers containing pockets of water.

From Huygens to Dragonfly

Huygens landed on 14 January 2005 and transmitted images and atmospheric measurements. Cassini made 127 close Titan flybys over 13 years, using radar and infrared instruments to explore beneath the haze. Dragonfly is scheduled to launch no earlier than July 2028, with arrival in late 2034. Its rotorcraft will investigate different sites, prebiotic chemistry and habitability; these objectives do not amount to a detection of life.

Essential data

Key fact
interactive_moon
Key fact
saturn-titan
Key fact
529

Physical properties

Diameter
5149.52
Measurement
1.8814
Measurement
8978.1371

Orbital data

Values include their timeframe and uncertainty when available. This view does not simulate real-time positions.

Semi-major axis
1221900
Parameter
15.945448

Dates and timeline

Historical year
1655

Sources and references

  1. Catálogo astronómico del visualizador Catálogo astronómico del visualizador
  2. Titan: Facts NASA
  3. Titan Exploration NASA
  4. Titan - NASA Science NASA
  5. Titan NASA
  6. In Depth | Titan – NASA Solar System Exploration NASA
  7. Titan | Science – NASA Solar System Exploration NASA
  8. The First Global Geologic Map of Titan Completed - NASA NASA
  9. ESA - Facts about Titan European Space Agency
  10. Saturn and Titan Resources - NASA Science NASA
  11. Building Our New View of Titan - NASA Science NASA
  12. Planetary Satellite Mean Elements — JPL Catálogo astronómico del visualizador
  13. NASA Study Suggests Saturn’s Moon Titan May Not Have Global Ocean NASA
  14. Dragonfly — NASA NASA

Context