Mayda Insula facts for kids
Mayda Insula is a landmass located in the Kraken Mare. The Kraken Mare is a huge body of liquid on Saturn's largest moon, Titan. This liquid is mostly made of methane, which is a type of natural gas. Mayda Insula is special because it was the very first island (or "insula") to be officially named on any planet or moon other than Earth!
Contents
Discovering Mayda Insula
Scientists found Mayda Insula using the Cassini–Huygens mission. This was a space mission that traveled all the way to Saturn and its moons. The name "Mayda Insula" was officially approved on April 11, 2008. The group that approved the name is called the International Astronomical Union Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature. This group is in charge of naming all the features we find in space.
Sometimes, scientists think Mayda Insula might actually be a peninsula. A peninsula is a piece of land that sticks out into a body of water but is still connected to a larger landmass by a narrow strip of land.
How Mayda Insula Got Its Name
All the islands on Titan are named after legendary islands from Earth's stories and myths. "Mayda Insula" was named after a legendary island called Mayda. People once thought this island existed in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. The name for Mayda Insula was approved on the same day as the names for Kraken Mare and Ligeia Mare, two other large liquid bodies on Titan.
Mayda Insula in Stories
Mayda Insula has even appeared in books! It was mentioned in a novel by Michael Carroll called On the Shores of Titan's Farthest Sea: A Scientific Novel. One chapter in the book is even titled "The Hunchback of Mayda Insula".
Related Pages
- Lakes of Titan
- List of geological features on Titan
