Monday 27 December 2010

Saturn’s Hexagon May Be Solar System’s Coolest Mystery


A bizarre six-sided feature encircling the north pole of Saturn near 78 degrees north latitude has been spied by the visual and infrared mapping spectrometer on NASA's Cassini spacecraft. This image is one of the first clear images ever taken of the north polar region as seen from a unique polar perspective. 
The hexagon circles Saturn at 78 degrees north and is wider than two Earths. Nearly everything about the weather pattern is baffling. First, it’s unclear what causes the hexagon. Second, it’s bizarre that the jet stream would make such sharp turns. Earth’s atmospheric movements rarely display such geometric rigor.

1 comment:

  1. Just another Hexagon in the program like the rest of them. Its one of the main building blocks in the program. If you look hard enough you will start seeing them every where :-)

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