Griffith and co-workers believe that at such low temperatures, the methane in Titan's atmosphere plays a similar role to the water in the Earth's atmosphere. The team analysed variations in infrared spectra collected during September 1999 and found changes in intensity over periods of only a few hours. By comparing spectra from clear and cloudy days on Titan, Griffith and colleagues also established that all of the clouds are at a similar altitude, suggesting that a common process drives cloud formation. Because Titan rotates slowly, it has a less turbulent atmosphere than Earth, and its cool atmosphere lacks the thermal gradients that produce our weather systems. This means that convection, which plays only a minor role in our weather, is a likely mechanism for cloud formation on Titan.
Clouds also cover a huge altitude range on Earth due to the complex effects of solar radiation.
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