Saturn's largest satellite, Titan, is drifting away from its planet 100 times faster than previously thought

Titan, the only known moon in the Solar System with an atmosphere, is drifting away from Saturn at a rate a hundred times faster than previous estimates, according to the latest research published in Nature Astronomy on Monday. Previous studies suggested that Titan's orbit should be migrating only about 0.1 centimeters per …

[janusng]

I can and did leg pump a swing around the top of a swing set.

I have to object the phrase "We don't think Titan will escape, because eventually the resonance locking process won't be able to operate, just as you can't pump your legs hard enough to swing around the top of the swing set,” said Fuller.

I had done it a dozens times when I was a child. No, not on a chain one. Here is a video of someone else did it.

https://youtu.be/ivd1pIeTxrM

[Wellyboot]

Re: I can and did leg pump a swing around the top of a swing set.

Titan doesn't have a counterweight at the opposite side of Saturn to help.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: I can and did leg pump a swing around the top of a swing set.

Perma-cheerful Colin Furze made a really big one in his back yard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9uh-CyBMCs

I bet being his neighbour must be a right laugh.

[OssianScotland]

That's no moon!

[ThatOne]

Interesting

So, if you go back in time, how close to Saturn was Titan initially?

[Charlie Clark]

Re: Interesting

Define "initially"…

[ThatOne]

Re: Interesting

Why, "initially" as the closest it could possibly have been (without bad things happening) of course.

[Anonymous Coward]

Are we sure it is resonance ?

I saw this on Netflix and maybe it is actually Titan's inhabitants desperately moving their moon closer to sun to warm up ?

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7605074/

[Claptrap314]

I didn't know that anyone took the first episode of Space 1999 as inspiration...

[Timbo]

"maybe it is actually Titan's inhabitants desperately moving their moon closer to sun to warm up ?"

As Titan is in orbit around Saturn, it is highy unlikely that Titan would be moving closer to the Sun.

Titan might get 11 cm closer to the Sun (each year) IF apogee AND Titan eclipsing Saturn occured at the same time.

And when Saturn eclipses Titan, Titan would of course be getting FURTHER away from the Sun, by a whole 11 cm.

(One assumes it is the mean radius of Titans orbit that is increasing at 11 cm per year).

[MCMLXV]

Occured

Huge downvote, especially since this is a tech site. It's occurred, ffs. I haven't had any coffee yet.

[cam]

11cm per year. Oh wow. That's 34 feet in 100 years. I guess we won't notice.