A Monster Storm on Saturn - check this picture out!!!

[The Sushi Bandit]

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press-release-details.cfm?newsID=703

NASA's Cassini spacecraft has seen something never before seen on another planet -- a hurricane-like storm at Saturn's south pole with a well-developed eye, ringed by towering clouds.



The "hurricane" spans a dark area inside a thick, brighter ring of clouds. It is approximately 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) across, or two thirds the diameter of Earth.

"It looks like a hurricane, but it doesn't behave like a hurricane," said Dr. Andrew Ingersoll, a member of Cassini's imaging team at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. "Whatever it is, we're going to focus on the eye of this storm and find out why it's there."

[TAPat]

1. Cool! nt

[Hand]

2. There's a good Brownie joke in here somewhere!

:rofl: Thanks for the post! Fascinating!

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Avalux]

4. I visited NASA's site this weekend.

Amazing - the eye is exactly over the south pole. They also seem to think the eye is completely devoid of the ammonia atmosphere and don't know why. It's very fascinating!



:hi:

[ShaneGR]

5. Interesting that "cloud" height increases as it goes outward

In other words, the clouds closest to the eye are much lower than the clouds on the outerbands. Almost like a tornado vortex. Wind speeds of 350 mph and 5000 miles wide. Gees...

[patrice]

6. I thought you maybe photoshopped it to get it to look like an eye - wrong.

It apparently really is that shape. Makes me wonder what would cause that.

5,000 miles across. I wonder how high that ring of clouds in the center is.

[ShaneGR]

7. 20-45 height miles from center to outerband

A movie taken by Cassini's camera over a three-hour period reveals winds around Saturn's south pole blowing clockwise at 550 kilometers (350 miles) per hour. The camera also saw the shadow cast by a ring of towering clouds surrounding the pole, and two spiral arms of clouds extending from the central ring. These ring clouds, 30 to 75 kilometers (20 to 45 miles) above those in the center of the storm, are two to five times taller than the clouds of thunderstorms and hurricanes on Earth.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

11. "makes me wonder what would cause that."

I'd presume the coriolis effect.

[Vorta]

8. People on Saturn filling their garages with bottled water, buying spam and candles, etc....

[importDavid]

9. It's really cool but it kinda looks like...

Katie Courics colonoscopy from the Today show a handful of years ago... ;)

[NanceGreggs]

10. Hang in there, Saturnites!

FEMA is on the way to assist ...