# Mayda Insula

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Island on Kraken Mare on Titan

Radar image of Mayda Insula (just right and below center) in Kraken Mare

**Mayda Insula** is an island in the [Kraken Mare](/source/Kraken_Mare), a body of liquid composed primarily of methane, on [Saturn's](/source/Saturn) largest moon [Titan](/source/Titan_(moon)). Mayda Insula is the first island (insula) to be named on a planet or moon other than Earth.

## Discovery and naming

Mayda Insula was discovered by the *[Cassini–Huygens](/source/Cassini%E2%80%93Huygens)* mission to Saturn. Its name was approved by the [International Astronomical Union Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature](/source/International_Astronomical_Union) on April 11, 2008,[1] becoming the first named island on a planetary body other than earth, and the largest.[2] NASA notes, however, that the possibility Mayda Insula is actually [peninsular](/source/Peninsular) (i.e., connected to the mainland by a strip of land) cannot be conclusively ruled out.[3] All of the insulae on Titan have been named for legendary islands and "Mayda Insula" was derived from the legendary island [Mayda](/source/Mayda) which was thought to exist in the northeastern [Atlantic Ocean](/source/Atlantic_Ocean).[2] Its name was approved the same day as the names of Kraken Mare and [Ligeia Mare](/source/Ligeia_Mare).[1]

## Characteristics

Mayda Insula lies in the northern end of the Kraken Mare near Titan's north pole.[4] The island has a northernmost latitude of 80.3 degrees north and a southernmost latitude of 77.4 degrees north; it has a westernmost longitude of approximately 321.2 degrees west and an easternmost longitude of 302.7 degrees west.[5] The island is 168 kilometres (104 mi) wide at its widest point.[5] Its dimensions are approximately 90 by 150 kilometres (56 by 93 mi), about the same size as the [Big Island](/source/Hawaii_(island)) of [Hawaii](/source/Hawaii).[3]

The highest point of the interior of Mayda Insula is approximately 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) above its shoreline.[6] Slopes are relatively mild at approximately 1.5 degrees on average, though they can approach 5 degrees in some locations.[6] Radar images of Titan's surface show that Mayda Insula's coasts display evidence of being changed by [fluvial](/source/Fluvial) and [lacustrine](/source/Lacustrine) processes.[7] Analyses of these fluvial features suggested that approximately 2 km3 of material has been eroded from Mayda Insula and deposited elsewhere in the Kraken Mare basin.[7]

## In popular culture

Mayda Insula features in [Michael Carroll](/source/Michael_Carroll_(space_artist))'s novel *On the Shores of Titan's Farthest Sea: A Scientific Novel*. The 39th chapter of the book is titled "The Hunchback of Mayda Insula".[8]

The extreme metal band, High Priest of Saturn released an eponymous album in 2013 which has a song titled *On Mayda Insula*. Regarding the song, they said "drowning in Kraken Mare is a metaphor for being overcome by fear and anxiety while Mayda Insula is a safe haven where you can find peace".[9] Kraken Mare is also a song on the album.

## See also

- [Lakes of Titan](/source/Lakes_of_Titan)

- [List of geological features on Titan](/source/List_of_geological_features_on_Titan)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-USGS_Titan_Mare_and_Insula_Names_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-USGS_Titan_Mare_and_Insula_Names_1-1) ["Titan Mare and Insula Names"](https://astrogeology.usgs.gov/news/nomenclature/titan-mare-and-insula-names). *Astrogeology Science Center*. USGS. April 11, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2017.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Nomenclature_Search_Results_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Nomenclature_Search_Results_2-1) ["Nomenclature Search Results, Feature Type: Insula, insulae"](https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/SearchResults?featureType=Insula,%20insulae). *Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature*. International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). Retrieved June 28, 2017.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-NASA_Photojournal_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-NASA_Photojournal_3-1) ["PIA09180: Titan: Larger and Larger Lakes"](https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09180). *Photojournal*. NASA/JPL-Caltech. February 27, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Titan_from_Cassini–Huygens_Ch_5_4-0)** Jaumann, R.; Kirk, R. L.; Lorenz, R. D.; [Lopes, R. M. C.](/source/Rosaly_Lopes); Stofan, E.; Turtle, E. P.; Keller, H. U.; Wood, C. A.; Sotin, C.; Soderblom, L. A.; Tomasko, M. (2009). "Geology and Surface Processes on Titan". In Brown, R.; Lebreton, J. P.; Waite, J. (eds.). *Titan from Cassini–Huygens*. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer. pp. 75–140. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1402092152](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1402092152).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Mayda_Insula_IAU_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Mayda_Insula_IAU_5-1) ["Mayda Insula"](https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14401;jsessionid=853D12EC763343D4DDA76A35ACE3CC21). *Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature*. International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). April 11, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2017.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Radargrammetry_on_three_planets_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Radargrammetry_on_three_planets_6-1) Kirk, R. L.; Howington-Kraus, E. (2008). ["Radargrammetry on three planets"](http://www.isprs.org/proceedings/XXXVII/congress/4_pdf/173.pdf) (PDF). *The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences*. **37** (B4): 973–980.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Titan_Surface_Geology_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Titan_Surface_Geology_7-1) Aharonson, O; Hayes, A. G.; Hayne, P. O.; Lopes, R. M.; Lucas, A.; Perron, J. T. (2014). "Titan's surface geology". In Müller-Wodarg, I.; Griffith, C. A.; Lellouch, E.; Cravens, T. E. (eds.). *Titan: Interior, Surface, Atmosphere, and Space Environment*. Cambridge Planetary Science. Vol. 14. New York, NY: [Cambridge University Press](/source/Cambridge_University_Press). pp. 63–101. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1139618960](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1139618960).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Scientific_Novel_8-0)** [Carroll, Michael](/source/Michael_Carroll_(space_artist)) (2015). *On the Shores of Titan's Farthest Sea: A Scientific Novel*. Heidelberg, Germany: Springer. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-3319177595](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3319177595).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["INTO BATTLE: HIGH PRIEST OF SATURN – Iron Fist Magazine"](https://www.ironfistzine.com/2013/03/02/into-battle-high-priest-of-saturn/). 2013-03-02. Retrieved 2024-05-07.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mayda Insula](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayda_Insula) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayda_Insula?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.