Comments on: Violent Polar Cyclones on Saturn Imaged in Unprecedented Detail by Cassini

By: Miki

Miki — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:35:57 +0000

If you observe a phenomenon twice, and you don't know anything about the persistence of that phenomenon, you cannot claim that the phenomenon was continuously present between the observations.

By: Jon

Jon — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 19:04:30 +0000

Gah, I've been trying to leave a comment here but this form isn't working.

A very similar process happens here on Earth, just search Wikipedia for Rossby waves.

By: Dark Gnat

Dark Gnat — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:53:09 +0000

I've seen patterns form in water swirls before, but never thought anything of it. I figured it was a well known event.

By: alandee

alandee — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:03:23 +0000

# Dutch Delight Says:
October 14th, 2008 at 6:02 am

Wow, excellent link AussieM!

X2 !!

By: Zargon

Zargon — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:04:29 +0000

That is a great link indeed – and seems to point to physics that may help understand the Saturn hexagon. Well found…

By: Dutch Delight

Dutch Delight — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:02:31 +0000

Wow, excellent link AussieM!

By: AussieM

AussieM — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:01:19 +0000

Interestingly I have seen this kind of unexpected polygon before.

I don't know enough about it to say that it could be linked to what we are seeing at the north pole of Saturn but take a look at http://www.physorg.com/news66924222.html and the Danish Uni site it links to.

By: Hans Bausewein

Hans Bausewein — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:43:42 +0000

Anyone has seen an update from the danish researchers, who kind of reproduced them in the lab 2 years ago?

http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060515/full/news060515-17.html

http://www.bioedonline.org/news/news.cfm?art=2531

By: Silver Thread

Silver Thread — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 01:42:33 +0000

I'm thinking the Hexagonal shape in the clouds might be the result of an oscillation in Saturn's rotation, a slight wobble which, represents it's self in the form of a hexagon in the clouds. Kind of like taking a hubcap spinning on a stick and giving it a slight nudge in one direction.

It's gyroscopic motion will keep it stable but the wobble will represent and repeat it's self as the hubcap spins in the shape of different polygons. If there were some correlation perhaps between the Hexagon and the Orbit of Titan that might explain the origin of the "Nudge" on the planet.

But this is all just speculation.

By: john

john — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 01:30:38 +0000

Why not a standing wave? I marvel at these Cassini pictures. Wow is the only word for now. Wow. Enjoy these marvellous pictures.