Saturn and its rings would be
a majestic sight lording over Titan's hydrocarbon haze. The viewpoint is
from 50 miles above Titan's surface and three-quarters of a million miles away from Saturn itself.
Three of Saturn's smaller satellites can also be seen extending from the
ring plane; to the left of Saturn
is Enceladus, and to the right are Tethys and Rhea.
Technically, the orange clouds mark the beginning of Titan's
condensate haze, which consists of ethane, methane, nitrogen, and a variety
of hydrocarbons known collectively as tholin. These gases and hydrocarbons
extend upward another 250 miles, resulting in a bluish, earthlike sky, albeit darker due to Titan's great
distance from the Sun. Tholin is created by the interaction of the
nitrogen-rich gases with ultraviolet light from the Sun and ultimately
precipitates all the way down to Titan's surface. Notwithstanding its flame-like colors, this haze is chilled to minus 330º F.