Seasonal changes that temporarily reverse the wind patterns on Saturn's moon Titan explain the orientation of the moon's dune fields, a new report says.

The dunes exist within 30 degrees of the equator, are about a kilometre wide and tens to hundreds of kilometres long, and in some cases stand over 100 metres tall. Data collected by ESA's Huygens probe as it descended through Titan's thick atmosphere in 2005, combined with basic principles of atmospheric circulation, suggested that surface winds generally flow east-to-west around the moon's equator. However, this assumption contradicted the first images of Titan's dunes, the orientation of which implying that the dominate winds blow from west-to-east.

The answer to this paradox appears to lie in seasonal changes. Tetsuya Tokano of the University of Cologne in Germany reports in a new paper featuring in a forthcoming edition of the journal Aeolian Research, that gusts of winds, persisting for no longer than about two years, sweep across the moon in a west-to-east direction, with much more strength than the 'normal' wind direction.

"It was hard to believe that there would be permanent west-to-east winds, as suggested by the dune appearance," says Tokano. "The dramatic, monsoon-type wind reversal around equinox turns out to be the key."

Tokano arrived at this conclusion by re-analysing a computer simulation model for Titan's global atmospheric circulation and adding in additional data on the moon's topography based on recent Cassini data. Rather than focusing on averages of wind patterns he studied the variations in the wind patterns at specific points in time. Equinoxes, which occur twice a Titan year (29 Earth years), seemed to provide the missing link. During this period, the Sun shines directly over the equator, heating and mixing the atmosphere such that the winds reverse and accelerate. A similar effect is seen over the Indian Ocean on Earth, during the transitional seasons between monsoons.

On Titan, the reversed winds race around the moon at speeds of 1-1.8 metres per second, much faster than the typical east-to-west wind speeds. "This is a subtle discovery – only by delving into the statistics of the winds in the model could this rather distressing paradox be resolved," says Ralph Lorenz, a Cassini radar scientist based at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. "This work is also reassuring for preparations for proposed future missions to Titan, in that we can become more confident in predicting the winds which can affect the delivery accuracy of landers, or the drift of balloons."

This special publication features the photography of British astro-imager Nik Szymanek and covers a range of photographic methods from basic to advanced. Beautiful pictures of the night sky can be obtained with a simple camera and tripod before tackling more difficult projects, such as guided astrophotography through the telescope and CCD imaging.
 U.K. STORE
 E.U. STORE
 U.S. & WORLDWIDE STORE

Hubble Reborn
Hubble Reborn takes the reader on a journey through the Universe with spectacular full-colour pictures of galaxies, nebulae, planets and stars as seen through Hubble's eyes, along the way telling the dramatic story of the space telescope, including interviews with key scientists and astronauts.
 U.K. STORE
 E.U. STORE
 U.S. & WORLDWIDE STORE

The Planets
From tiny Mercury to distant Neptune and Pluto, The Planets profiles each of the Solar System's members in depth, featuring the latest imagery from space missions. The tallest mountains, the deepest canyons, the strongest winds, raging atmospheric storms, terrain studded with craters and vast worlds of ice are just some of the sights you'll see on this 100-page tour of the planets.
 U.K. STORE
 E.U. STORE
 U.S. & WORLDWIDE STORE

3D Universe
Witness the most awesome sights of the Universe as they were meant to be seen in this 100-page extravaganza of planets, galaxies and star-scapes, all in 3D!
 U.K. STORE
 E.U. STORE
 U.S. & WORLDWIDE STORE

This new poster features some of the best pictures from NASA's amazing Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity.
 U.K. STORE
 E.U. STORE
 U.S. & WORLDWIDE STORE