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Saturn鈥檚 moon Titan is more than just a fuzzy orange ball. These new images, constructed from 13 years of data from the Cassini spacecraft, are our best pictures of what Titan would look like without its dense, hazy atmosphere.

The atmosphere scatters visible light, making it impossible to see down to the surface, but it lets some wavelengths of infrared light through.

Using infrared detectors allowed Cassini to pierce the veil and peer right down to the frigid moon鈥檚 surface, revealing its rolling dunes and oily methane seas.

Best for a decade

The Cassini spacecraft ended its mission by plunging into Saturn in September 2017, so these are likely the best pictures we鈥檒l have of Titan鈥檚 surface for at least a decade. Nevertheless,聽continuing to process all the data from Cassini will continue to give us new information for years to come.

鈥淎 mission and its scientific legacy doesn鈥檛 end when the spacecraft stops,鈥� says Ralph Lorenz at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. 鈥淭hese new images are a good example of the sort of cleaner, more uniform and comprehensive product we can make by consolidating all the data from Cassini鈥檚 epic mission.鈥�

Titan in particular is of interest to researchers because of its potential for life unlike anything we see on Earth. It is the only other place in the solar system with liquid on its surface, and it is jam-packed with the types of complex chemicals necessary for living organisms.

But no matter how good our pictures are, we can鈥檛 examine that chemistry in detail or look for life from far above the surface. That鈥檚 why NASA is considering a new mission there, called the Dragonfly mission, which would send a flying drone to hop around Titan鈥檚 surface.

鈥淭he rich and varied surface composition shown in these images underscores the value of mobility in future Titan exploration,鈥� says Lorenz.聽If NASA selects the Dragonfly mission for funding, it will launch in 2025 and arrive at Titan in 2034.