This is the picture (false-colored) of a gigantic hurricane on Saturn with winds believed to be twice as fast as our category 5 hurricanes and a eye span of 2000 kilometers! This dwarfs even our strongest hurricanes here in Florida. It is interesting to note that Saturn has no oceans...so what can be driving this hurricane? The article (link below) theorizes that the minute amount of water vapor in Saturn's atmosphere is the driving force behind this megastorm. Talk about a dust storm!
This is an incredible astrological find. It shows how bizarre weather patterns can be on gas giants. It is also incredible to think of the destructive power of a storm. Some impressive characteristics of this storm are its size and speed. This storm on Saturn is twice as fast as category 5 hurricane hitting speeds over 500 kilometers an hour. The eye of the storm is 2,000 kilometers in diameter. That is about 20 times larger than a hurricane eye on earth. The scientists who discovered this storm were surprised by it is remarkably similar structure to a hurricane. There are only small amounts of water on Saturn. However, the scientists that observed the storm believe that this small amount of water causes this huge storm. The size and speed of this storm are similar to what a super massive hurricane on Earth. I believe further observation may reveal that other compounds play a significant in the storm formation as well. Perhaps, different compounds create storms on gas giants than on planets similar to Earth. These different compounds may be responsible for the vast increase in size and speed of storms on gas giants. Additionally, this storm is unlike hurricanes on Earth due to its position on Saturn. On Earth, hurricanes drift due to wind currents and the Earth’s rotation. The storm on Saturn is located at the north polar region. This position causes the storm not to travel with the rotation of Saturn. Overall, this picture provides another field of exploration for meteorology. Interplanetary meteorology and climatology will be important factors when humans eventually attempt to colonize other plants. Gas giant planets will not be directly colonized. However, moons around the gas giants are viable options for colonization. It would be interesting to see how storms on Saturn affect the gravitational and rotational forces on its moons.
ReplyDeleteThis is an example.
DeleteNow this is just cool!
ReplyDeleteIt is quite crazy how even with our vast understanding of science we can be flabbergasted by things like hurricanes. What makes this so astounding to scientists is the lack of water on Saturn, but even with its lack of water, these hurricanes greatly outsize hurricanes on our planet (that is about 70% water).
Our planet is so strategically placed that nothing like the hurricanes on Saturn have ever happened here, and it absolutely blows my mind. A planet that is about 1.2 billion km from Earth (which is nothing in regards to the vast expanse of the universe) has differences that would mean death to life on Earth given that it was placed there instead of right where it is. This can be said even in regards to other planets; Jupiter’s moon, Io, has constant volcanic eruptions and Venus has sulfuric acid rain. Nothing on Earth even comes close to comparing to the dangers present on other planets, but the differences in location are minute.
I love how every independent branch of science has factors that relate to the other branches. For instance, this really shows the importance of biological principles like how structure and function go hand-in-hand. With changes in the location of a planet, the processes and functions of that planet shift and are completely different from that of the next closest planets. I may not know why Venus has acid rain, but I would speculate that the existence of that planet relative to its location is somehow dependant on that rain.
I hope scientists keep exploring these phenomena, because I think it can tell us a lot about the importance of exactly where we are at.
I think this is really cool looking. The colors are amazing. Its crazy to even imagine a hurricane that is 30 times larger than an average hurricane on earth, with crazy winds that are twice as large as a category 5 hurricane. Thats got to be one disastrous storm.
ReplyDeleteWow, this is a cool article. The sheer size of this storm is absolutely amazing! Also, the enhanced red and green colors are really a nice touch. It's especially interesting that such a huge storm can be generated from such a small amount of available water in the planet's atmosphere. Could there possibly be some additional chemical force (such as methane gas) involved in this? With information gained from this study, scientists may one day be able to create large-scale storms in arid places where water is scarce. Knowledge obtained from this investigation will surely prove useful to future space exploration, as more "cosmic data" is gathered and evaluated.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting article. I love reading about the the universe, our solar system, and how the various chemical compositions of various planets contribute to their unique atmosphere and geological structures. Obviously, the size of saturn largely accounts for the huge size of its storm, but what is interesting is how a planet which such different chemical characteristics is still producing a massive storm like this. The article noted that perhaps minute amounts of water vapor are contributing to this storm, but certainly small amounts of water alone couldn't correspond to the intensity of the entire storm. It will be interesting to read what other chemicals are involved with sustaining a storm of such magnitude!
ReplyDeleteFor the most part, things related to astrology, ecology, or botany, don't hold as much interest for me as anatomy or biology does. Nonetheless, I can't deny the beauty of this storm. It is a display of complexity at its best. How could something so intricate rise from a few simple drops of water? Could there be other gases involved? Even if there were other gases, what crazy type of reactions would make a hurricane as a byproduct? I mean a storm 30 times larger than normal? It's impossible to detail the amount of damage something that massive could cause on earth, but we can be certain that many lives would be lost if a storm like that hit our planet. I think its amazing that even with the bountiful water supply on earth, God made it so that it would be improbable for something like this to happen here. What is it that makes earth so different from the other planets? I personally don't know. In fact, the truth is, like me, most people think the universe is a vast mystery. Hopefully, though, scientists like the ones who discovered this hurricane will continue to explore the marvels and beauties that God created and enlighten the rest of us.
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