Starship Asterisk*

APOD under comment.

Could the question of where the craters are, be addressed by the link to the APOD from last August? Is it possible that a thick atmosphere (and a nearby large gravity well) does an effective job in diverting/burning up potential impactors? I know, I know, growing organic biomass is a much more exciting solution , but I'm a bit curious to hear from folks "in-the-know" as to the protecting effects that beefy atmospheres can have (if not just for Titan, then for other extra-solar planets in the galaxy).

Thanks,
~Neal

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassi ... index.html
IN THE NASA CASSINI-SATURN WEBSITE THERE IS A GOOD RADAR PICTURE OF TITAN. IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY AT THE DESIGNS IN THE LIGHT (HIGH) AREAS THEY APPEAR (TO ME) TO BE SOMETHING LIKE VOLCANIC FLOES. MAYBR THAT IS WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE CREATERS.

I don't think we have to look beyond earth to see the protection a beefy atmosphere has .. not many craters here.

Sputnick wrote:I don't think we have to look beyond earth to see the protection a beefy atmosphere has .. not many craters here.

Titan has a surface pressure 50% higher than earth's but a gravity only 1/7th of earths:
1.5 * 7 ~ 10 times thicker atmosphere.