# Best place to see the first pictures of Cassini-Huygens Titan probe **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 14, 2005, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-place-to-see-the-first-pictures-of-cassini-huygens-titan-probe/284745 "2005-01-14T18:29:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rusalka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-place-to-see-the-first-pictures-of-cassini-huygens-titan-probe/284745/1 "2005-01-14T18:29:34Z")
I have the streaming NASA TV, where they’ll probably have a “news conference” but isn’t there a place where still photos are first placed on the internet as they become available? Anyone have the inside scoop? I don’t want to sit there and wait for the talking heads. ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-place-to-see-the-first-pictures-of-cassini-huygens-titan-probe/284745/2 "2005-01-14T18:40:57Z")
I’m not sure about when pics might be available, but [The Planetary Society](http://www.planetary.org/news/2005/huygens_blog_0114.html) seems to be doing a good job of keeping up-to-date on the news. ---
**Author:** ![Gaius.Cornelius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b487fb/32.png) [@Gaius.Cornelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaius.Cornelius)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-place-to-see-the-first-pictures-of-cassini-huygens-titan-probe/284745/3 "2005-01-14T18:51:09Z")
There will be a BBC news briefing, with images expected, at 1930 GMT (about 30 minutes from the time of this post). See: [http://news.bbc.co.uk/](http://news.bbc.co.uk/) and follow link. ---
**Author:** ![Rusalka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-place-to-see-the-first-pictures-of-cassini-huygens-titan-probe/284745/4 "2005-01-14T18:52:54Z")
Yeah, but what about the raw data? I seem to remember reading somewhere, that NASA has to make raw data available to anyone. All I see at their site (and at ESA’s site) is dumbed down PR information. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-place-to-see-the-first-pictures-of-cassini-huygens-titan-probe/284745/5 "2005-01-14T19:27:10Z")
They’re supposed to be up quickly here: [http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~kholso/data.htm](http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~kholso/data.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Gaius.Cornelius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b487fb/32.png) [@Gaius.Cornelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaius.Cornelius)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-place-to-see-the-first-pictures-of-cassini-huygens-titan-probe/284745/6 "2005-01-14T19:50:03Z")
BBC now playing - drainage channels and a shore line! ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-place-to-see-the-first-pictures-of-cassini-huygens-titan-probe/284745/7 "2005-01-14T20:01:16Z")
SpaceflightNow has [first image here](http://spaceflightnow.com/cassini/050114pic1.html). ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-place-to-see-the-first-pictures-of-cassini-huygens-titan-probe/284745/8 "2005-01-14T20:29:43Z")
Another pic: [http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/image-details.cfm?imageID=1298](http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/image-details.cfm?imageID=1298) ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-place-to-see-the-first-pictures-of-cassini-huygens-titan-probe/284745/9 "2005-01-14T21:23:58Z")
I’m having some trouble with that website. This is supposed to have all the latest images. [http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/index.cfm](http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/index.cfm) But they’re not hyperlinked or anything. How does this site work? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-place-to-see-the-first-pictures-of-cassini-huygens-titan-probe/284745/10 "2005-01-14T22:00:53Z")
> [@ratatoskK](#): > > But they’re not hyperlinked or anything. How does this site work? All bogged down too. [Here’s a decent collection](http://users.bigpond.net.au/scotsons_shack/Astronomy.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-place-to-see-the-first-pictures-of-cassini-huygens-titan-probe/284745/11 "2005-01-14T22:13:25Z")
Out of curiosity, and because I don’t know of a good site that would have the info, what is the current transit time of a radio signal from Titan to Earth? What is the data transfer speed of the radio link, and what kind of compression is applied to the images by the probe prior to sending? On second thought, just shoot me the complete blueprints, source code, and specifications, and I’ll puzzle it out for myself. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-place-to-see-the-first-pictures-of-cassini-huygens-titan-probe/284745/12 "2005-01-14T22:20:35Z")
67 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-place-to-see-the-first-pictures-of-cassini-huygens-titan-probe/284745/13 "2005-01-15T00:27:10Z")
[Index of /titan/raw](http://mars.lyle.org/titan/raw/) ---
**Author:** ![Rusalka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-place-to-see-the-first-pictures-of-cassini-huygens-titan-probe/284745/14 "2005-01-15T01:00:45Z")
Ok, all I’ve found on the internet are the same three pictures over and over again: One of Titan as the probe is 10 miles up, one with the probe closer to the surface, showing possible lakes, etc. and one of the ground. Is that all there is? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-place-to-see-the-first-pictures-of-cassini-huygens-titan-probe/284745/15 "2005-01-15T01:14:10Z")
There’s 367 triplets total at the site I just gave. Most of them are near duplicates. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-place-to-see-the-first-pictures-of-cassini-huygens-titan-probe/284745/16 "2005-01-15T02:22:17Z")
Counting moons, I’ve now seen photographs taken on the surface of five worlds. Cool. 🆒 Are there going to be any color photos from Titan’s surface? ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-place-to-see-the-first-pictures-of-cassini-huygens-titan-probe/284745/17 "2005-01-15T02:26:09Z")
I read that after they process the raw images, there will be color images out on Saturday morning. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-place-to-see-the-first-pictures-of-cassini-huygens-titan-probe/284745/18 "2005-01-15T03:15:05Z")
Take a look at this one: [http://mars.lyle.org/titan/raw/triplet.716.jpg](http://mars.lyle.org/titan/raw/triplet.716.jpg) Is that a tropical beach in the top image? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Zamboni)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-place-to-see-the-first-pictures-of-cassini-huygens-titan-probe/284745/19 "2005-01-16T18:23:09Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Take a look at this one: > [http://mars.lyle.org/titan/raw/triplet.716.jpg](http://mars.lyle.org/titan/raw/triplet.716.jpg) > Is that a tropical beach in the top image? 🙂 -226 F is hardly tropical, but if you are a Titanian, it may be very comfortable! I was hoping to see that Huygens had landed on a shoreline, getting images of methane waves breaking on water ice beaches. How do you suppose that would look?