1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:08,039 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey y'all, it's Eves. Welcome to another episode 3 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 1: of This Day in History Class. Today is March. The 4 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:31,920 Speaker 1: day was March sixt Dutch astronomer Christian Hikins first observed 5 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:37,479 Speaker 1: Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Hikins studied law in mathematics at 6 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: the University of Leiden and at the Orange College of Breda. 7 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:45,080 Speaker 1: After that, he stayed at home and pursued his scientific 8 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:48,440 Speaker 1: interests thanks to the financial support of his wealthy father. 9 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:53,559 Speaker 1: This period from sixteen fifty to sixteen sixty six was 10 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 1: a productive time in hikins life. He and his brother 11 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: devoted time to developing telescopes. In the early sixteen fifties, 12 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 1: he worked on improving his telescopes by using a new 13 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: way of grinding lenses that increased clarity. Using his lenses, 14 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:13,759 Speaker 1: he was better able to observe the skies. In sixteen 15 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: fifty five, he turned his attention to Saturn. Back in 16 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:21,360 Speaker 1: sixteen ten, Galileo became the first person to observe Saturn 17 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:25,760 Speaker 1: with a telescope. Back then, there was confusion over Saturn's appearance. 18 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 1: Galileo saw Saturn as some sort of three part body 19 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:32,880 Speaker 1: with a large body in the middle and two smaller 20 00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:37,480 Speaker 1: lateral bodies. Astronomers thought that two handles may have been 21 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:42,319 Speaker 1: attached to Saturn. Galileo did, however, first observed Jupiter's moons 22 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:46,480 Speaker 1: around this time, but decades later Hikins was poised to 23 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 1: make new discoveries with his improved telescope. On March sixteen 24 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:55,920 Speaker 1: fifty five, he discovered Saturn's largest moon, which we now 25 00:01:55,960 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 1: know as Titan. At the time, Hikins named it saturni Luna, 26 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 1: which is Latin for Saturn's moon. He published the discovery 27 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 1: in a pamphlet called a New Observation of Saturn's Moon. 28 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 1: Mathematician and astronomer John Herschel suggested the name Titan for 29 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:18,639 Speaker 1: Saturn's largest moon. Centuries later, and in eighteen forty seven publication. 30 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 1: In the sixteen fifty nine Hikens unveiled his theory that 31 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 1: Saturn was surrounded by a flat ring. By the time 32 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:32,160 Speaker 1: he died in six he'd made many contributions to optics, astronomy, 33 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:38,760 Speaker 1: and mechanics. Over the years, astronomers discovered more of Saturn's moons. Now, 34 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:42,360 Speaker 1: Saturn is said to have eighty two moons, though only 35 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:46,639 Speaker 1: fifty three of them are confirmed and named. Since Hikens 36 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 1: initial observation, scientists have learned a lot more about Titan. 37 00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 1: It's the second largest moon in the Solar System, and 38 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 1: it's about seven hundred and fifty nine thousand miles or 39 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:02,960 Speaker 1: one point two million kilometers from Saturn. It's cold and icy. 40 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: It It's also the only moon known to have a 41 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:11,640 Speaker 1: dense atmosphere that's mostly nitrogen like Earth's. Titan is also 42 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 1: the only place besides Earth known to have liquid in 43 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:17,400 Speaker 1: the form of rivers, lakes, and seas on its surface. 44 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:21,680 Speaker 1: Liquid methane and ethane are present, and there is likely 45 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: an underground ocean of liquid water. There could be environments 46 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:30,360 Speaker 1: with conditions suitable for life on Titan, but there is 47 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 1: no evidence of life there. I'm Eve Jeffcote and hopefully 48 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 1: you know a little more about history today than you 49 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:41,160 Speaker 1: did yesterday. And if you want to send us a note, 50 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: you can do so on social media on Facebook, Twitter, 51 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 1: or Instagram at t d I h C Podcast and 52 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:52,400 Speaker 1: you can also send us an email at this day 53 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 1: at I heart media dot com. Thanks again for listening 54 00:03:56,840 --> 00:04:05,520 Speaker 1: and we'll see you tomorrow. Yeah. For more podcasts from 55 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, 56 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.