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Credit & Copyright: NASA,
ESA,
STScI,
HST;
A. Sönchez-Lavega
(UPV),
A. Simon (NASA-GSFC), M. Wong (UC Berkeley);
Processing:
A. Pagan
(STScI)
Explanation:
Why are SaturnÁs poles geometric?
SaturnÁs
North Pole has been known to be surrounded by a
hexagonal (6 sides) cloud since
discovery in 1987 in data taken by NASAÁs
Voyager spacecrafts,
which quickly flew past the
ringed
world in the early 1980s.
Now, recent observations of Saturn by the
Hubble Space Telescope
reveal a slightly different geometric cloud pattern
around the South Pole: a
decagon (10
sides).
The geometric boundaries are
possibly caused
by waves when the fast-moving gas away from the
poles interacts with slower-moving gas closer to the poles.
In the
featured image composite by the Hubble taken last year, the
South Pole of Saturn
is marked by an X and surrounded by bands of circulating clouds.
The decagon
appears most prominent in the dark inner regions.
The northern hexagon has proven stable for over 40 years,
while the stability of the southern decagon will surely remain a
topic of research.
APOD's main NASA site is
moving:
From apod.nasa.gov to
science.nasa.gov/apod
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day