Giant Hexagon Storm on Saturn

[Der_Trihs]

I haven’t seen this here. JPL.NASA.GOV

@JPL

Pasadena, Calif. – An odd, six-sided, honeycomb-shaped feature circling the entire north pole of Saturn has captured the interest of scientists with NASA’s Cassini mission.

NASA’s Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft imaged the feature over two decades ago. The fact that it has appeared in Cassini images indicates that it is a long-lived feature. A second hexagon, significantly darker than the brighter historical feature, is also visible in the Cassini pictures. The spacecraft’s visual and infrared mapping spectrometer is the first instrument to capture the entire hexagon feature in one image.

< snip >

The hexagon is similar to Earth’s polar vortex, which has winds blowing in a circular pattern around the polar region. On Saturn, the vortex has a hexagonal rather than circular shape. The hexagon is nearly 25,000 kilometers (15,000 miles) across. Nearly four Earths could fit inside it.

The physics behind this ought to be interesting. I bet the UFO types will love this; no doubt it’s natural, but it looks artificial.

[AuntiePam]

Wow. 15,000 miles across?

I suppose if you were right under it, you wouldn’t notice the nearly square sides. Does size and distance do that – make things that aren’t square look square? But equal size sides? Dang. Mind boggling.

[tiger_lily]

Wonder if this is somewhere deep inside…?

[Squink]

@Der Trihs

The physics behind this ought to be interesting.

Geometric whirlpools revealed

Bizarre geometric shapes that appear at the centre of swirling vortices in planetary atmospheres might be explained by a simple experiment with a bucket of water.

Researchers at the Technical University of Denmark in Lyngby have created similar geometric shapes (holes in the form of stars, squares, pentagons and hexagons) in whirlpools of water in a cylindrical bucket1. The shapes appear easily enough once the bucket is spinning at a rate of one to seven revolutions per second, they say.

[Johnny_L.A]

@tiger lily

Wonder if this is somewhere deep inside…?

I was thinking this.

[Precambrianmollusc]

There are some stunning photos on the NASA site
This one buried in the archives is pretty interesting
Apparently the Empire has built another Death Star and it is on its way here.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia08278.html

[Squink]

Iapetus
Hyperion

[davidm]

The 2001 Archive

[Rysdad]

@davidm

The 2001 Archive

Is says I’m FORBIDDEN.

Why? Is Sauron looking at it right now or something?

[davidm]

@Rysdad

Is says I’m FORBIDDEN.

Why? Is Sauron looking at it right now or something?

Are you saying that the server says you’re forbidden? Hmm, not sure why that should be. It works for me.

Anyway, it’s a short clip from 2001: “My God. It’s full of stars!”

[Terrifel]

@Squink

Iapetus

Oh man, that’s so fakey. They didn’t even bother to trim off the flashing. What a crappy molding job.

[Rich_Mann]

@Squink

Hyperion

Obviously the hive of Futurama’s Space-Bees.

Leela: “Honeycomb’s big!”
Bender: “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
Fry: “It’s not small!”
Bender: “No, no, no.”

[if6was9]

Unscientific, unsubstantiated speculation… if you had a circular storm, and many circular storms near it (next to it…) it might line up like this.

[Eutychus]

@tiger lily

Wonder if this is somewhere deep inside…?

That depends on if you’re watching the movie or reading the book.

[The_King_of_Soup]

Don’t storms here sometimes form that kind of pattern?

[tomndebb]

Those interested might also check out some of the comments on the (now closed) thread Cassini photographs of incredible atmospheric phenomenon on Saturn

[Alistair_McCello]

@Rich Mann

Obviously the hive of Futurama’s Space-Bees.

Leela: “Honeycomb’s big!”
Bender: “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
Fry: “It’s not small!”
Bender: “No, no, no.”

In the spirit of keeping this discussion completely factual I must point out that this exchange was between Leela, Fry, and Hermes, not Bender.

[Johnny_L.A]

@Alistair McCello

In the spirit of keeping this discussion completely factual I must point out that this exchange was between Leela, Fry, and Hermes, not Bender.

Fry, Hermes and Bender:

Fry: How big’s the honeycomb?
Hermes: Honeycomb’s big. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Bender: It’s not small?
Hermes: No, no, no!

[Quartz]

Hexagonal? Isn’t that just like a mantle plume here on Earth?

[enigm4tic]

I can’t believe the thread has gotten this far without welcoming our hexagonal overlords from Saturn.