Scientists have recently identified “magic islands,” solving a major mystery about a world NASA refers to as “Earth 2.0.”
Dubbed a “pseudo-planet” because it is not actually a planet yet shares many planetary characteristics, this celestial body is larger than some planets in the Solar System and features a complex landscape of mountains, rivers, and lakes similar to Earth.
In 2014, NASA's Cassini spacecraft detected mysterious shifting bright spots through Titan’s dense clouds.
This world is Titan, Saturn’s largest moon and often called the “moon of life.”
According to Space.com, a new study led by Associate Professor Xinting Yu from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Texas at San Antonio has revealed the fascinating nature of these “magic islands.”
These structures are found in methane and ethane lakes on Titan's surface, resembling small islands.
While they appear similar to Earth's islands, they differ in that they constantly shift, appear, and disappear in an almost ghostly manner.
When first observed, there were two main hypotheses. The first suggested they were merely illusions caused by some anomaly in NASA’s spacecraft.
This could be due to waves in the lakes or chains of bubbles linked to effervescent materials at the lakebed, creating distorted signals for Cassini—an argument favored by those who viewed the spots as “ghosts.”
The second hypothesis proposed that these were actual physical objects.
Professor Yu and his team confirmed their reality, identifying them as porous, frozen organic solid masses, with a structure similar to Swiss cheese.
These formations likely develop when “snow” falls from Titan’s sky, which is known to be dense with organic molecules capable of clumping together. This organic “snow” remains in a saturated state and does not dissolve in the methane or ethane lakes.
Unlike water, the liquid materials forming Titan’s lakes do not generate enough surface tension to keep the “magic islands” afloat indefinitely. Over time, ethane and methane seep into the porous structures, causing them to sink.
These processes were verified through the creation of a complete model based on NASA's data.
Once again, Titan demonstrates its Earth-like nature, as this transient formation and dissolution of islands is similar to how icebergs break off, drift, and eventually melt into Earth's oceans.
Titan remains a fascinating target for NASA’s upcoming missions in the search for extraterrestrial life. The space agency has often referred to Titan as an “alien Earth,” an “Earth replica,” and “Earth 2.0.”
Beyond its Earth-like landscape and the vast presence of organic compounds, Titan may also harbor a subsurface ocean—where scientists hope to find water and possibly life.
