Mayda Insula
Mayda Insula is an island in the Kraken Mare. It is a body of liquid composed mostly of methane, on Saturn's largest moon Titan. Mayda Insula is the first island (insula) to be named on a planet or moon other than Earth.
Discovery and naming
Mayda Insula was discovered by the Cassini–Huygens mission to Saturn. Its name was approved by the International Astronomical Union Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature on April 11, 2008.[1] It became the first named island anywhere other than earth.[2] However, there is a possibility that Mayda Insula is actually peninsular. A peninsular is a piece of land that is connected to the mainland by another strip of land.[3] All of the island on Titan have been named after legendary islands. "Mayda Insula" was named after a legendary island Mayda which was thought to exist in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean.[2] Its name was approved the same day as the names of Kraken Mare and Ligeia Mare.[1]
In popular culture
Mayda Insula was mentioned in Michael Carroll's novel On the Shores of Titan's Farthest Sea: A Scientific Novel. The 39th chapter of the book is titled "The Hunchback of Mayda Insula".[4]
Related pages
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Titan Mare and Insula Names". Astrogeology Science Center. USGS. April 11, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Nomenclature Search Results, Feature Type: Insula, insulae". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). Retrieved June 28, 2017.
- ↑ "PIA09180: Titan: Larger and Larger Lakes". Photojournal. NASA/JPL-Caltech. February 27, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
- ↑ Carroll, Michael (2015). On the Shores of Titan's Farthest Sea: A Scientific Novel. Heidelberg, Germany: Springer. ISBN 3319177591.