Saturn’s Bizarre Vortex
August 9th 2011 02:11
Category: No Category
image showning the hexagon weather anomaly: NASA image
Unusual weather patterns on planet’s that have atmospheres is very common,but Saturn’s weather is strange indeed.
First detected over 20 years ago by the Voyager space craft the six sided vortex is still spinning.
The nature of the vortex is yet undetermined. The hexagon storm is nearly 15,000 miles (25,000 kilometers) across. It is big enough that 4 Earth’s could fit inside it with room to spare.
The huge storm is located on Saturn’s northern polar region. The anomaly has remained fix over time., ever since it was first discovered.
The hexagon storm is similar to the giant red spot of planet Jupiter. Thermal images taken recently show the vortex extending to a depth of some 100 kilometres whipping up wind speed of epoch proportions.
Six sides storms occur on Earth’s polar regions although on a much
lower scale then the one on Saturn. Why this particular storm is six
of how these weather structures are formed and to what may lay beneath Saturn dense clouds. The hexagon is likely to be caused but a large jet stream of fast moving air.
The anomaly was first seen in 1991 about the same time Saturn entered it’s winter, and a very long winter at that.
Saturn’s year is very long it takes Saturn 29 years to complete an orbit around the Sun.
Many hundreds of images were combined to make a "movie" showing a very active jet stream around the parameter of the vortex.
Saturn’s spring equinox occurred in August 2009.The images were taken in visible light using the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Jan. 3, 2009. The images were taken at a distance of approximately 764,000 kilometers (475,000 miles) from Saturn.
| 30 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief