WEEKLY WHINE

Where to find stuff

Yes, with Cassini safely in orbit around Saturn, it's time to recap why everyone is acting as though this is some big historic achievement:

Because it is.

But some people are unable to keep this in mind, which is why we're always ending up with a GoobNet Mailbox full of incorrect assumptions and questions that don't make sense. So ready the clothespins and get in.

Did you see that picture of Iapetus? - Veronique de la Fressange, Nantes, France

Yes. Did you?

Yes. - Veronique de la Fressange, Nantes, France

Okay then. Next question.

Are there really liquid oceans on Titan's surface? - Dan O'Shaughnessey, Rutherford, OK, USA

There could be. On Cassini's first Titan flyby, it didn't image any reflections from lake surfaces, which they were hoping for. But there are plenty of future opportunities to see it, particularly from closer distances.

Is there geologic activity on Titan? That would be pretty neato. - Bradley Ketchongo, Bangui, Central African Republic

Maybe. There are a lot of features that have lines running into one another and concentric circles, which could suggest geologic action. Or Titanologic action. Whatever.

What are the rings of Saturn made of? - Winnie Fox, Wolverhampton, UK

Stuff.

Really? I'm made of stuff too! How coincidental! - Tameka Ruslanski, St Petersburg, Russia

I bet you're lying. You're not really made of stuff.

So did a former moon of Saturn explode and create the rings? - Clint Holliwell, Kingsville, OH, USA

Sure, why not. But then how do you explain the dirty stuff toward the outside and in the Cassini Division compared with the icy stuff elsewhere?

So, like, was there a hole in the rings that Cassini could fly through? - Harold Nakamura, Downey, CA, USA

Shut up.