Abstract: We show that the "snowline" altitude on Titan, above which the condensed nonideal methane–nitrogen phase is solid, is lower (∼14 km) near the equator than at high latitudes (∼19 km). This counterintuitive result derives from the thermodynamic behavior of the binary condensate. The snowline altitude is an operating constraint on future Titan missions where icing would pose a ceiling on atmospheric flight. These snowline altitudes are higher than likely topography, suggesting that optically bright regions on Titan are not due to veneering caused by methane frost deposition.
Publication Year: 2002
Publication Date: 2002-08-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 15
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