Why does Saturn have a hexagon on its north pole?

Why does Saturn have a hexagon on its north pole?

They believe that vortexes occur at the planet’s north pole because of atmospheric flows deep within the gas giant, and that these vortexes pinch an intense horizontal jet near the equator—which is what warps the storm into a hexagon.

What is a north pole hexagon?

Space scientists have been fascinated by the hexagonal feature at Saturn’s north pole since the Voyager mission first discovered it in 1981. The hexagon – a jet stream in Saturn’s atmosphere, moving at some 200 mph (320 km/h) — was believed to be a feature of Saturn’s lower atmosphere, or troposphere, only.

What is the giant hexagon on Saturn?

“Saturn’s Hexagon” is a swirling maelstrom at the planet’s north pole that, as its name implies, has an odd, hexagonal shape. The hexagon is an ever-present cloud pattern that “stands” as tall as an enormous, whirling tower on the planet.

What is special about Titan?

Titan is bigger than Earth’s moon, and larger than even the planet Mercury. This mammoth moon is the only moon in the solar system with a dense atmosphere, and it’s the only world besides Earth that has standing bodies of liquid, including rivers, lakes and seas, on its surface.

Why did Galileo think Saturn was 3 planets?

To Galileo’s surprise, Saturn wasn’t just one planet, but three! A big middle planet with a small planet or moon on each side, and the three were almost touching. Galileo drew it like this: Other astronomers, whose telescopes were not as good as Galileo’s, saw a single oval planet.

What is at Saturn’s north pole?

Saturn’s hexagon is a persistent approximately hexagonal cloud pattern around the north pole of the planet Saturn, located at about 78°N. The sides of the hexagon are about 14,500 km (9,000 mi) long, which is about 2,000 km (1,200 mi) longer than the diameter of Earth.

Is there a six point star on top of Saturn?

2, the six-pointed star is called the talisman of Saturn and it is also referred to as the Seal of Solomon.

What makes Titan habitable?

Habitability. Robert Zubrin has pointed out that Titan possesses an abundance of all the elements necessary to support life, saying “In certain ways, Titan is the most hospitable extraterrestrial world within our solar system for human colonization.” The atmosphere contains plentiful nitrogen and methane.

How do you get oxygen on a Titan?

It is cold on Titan (surface temperature of about -290 degrees F). And people would need to wear respirators to breathe oxygen, since the atmosphere is mostly nitrogen. The light on Titan is a little dim, like just after a sunset here on Earth, due to the haze particles in the thick atmosphere.

Why can’t we see the hexagon at Saturn’s North Pole?

High-resolution views of the hexagon have only recently become possible because of the changing of the seasons at Saturn and changes in the Cassini spacecraft’s orbit. The north pole was dark when Cassini first arrived in July 2004.

What is Saturn’s Hexagon?

Saturn’s hexagon is a persisting hexagonal cloud pattern around the north pole of Saturn, located at about 78°N.

What is the shape of Saturn’s North Pole?

Saturn – North polar hexagon and vortex as well as rings. A closer view (2016) Saturn’s hexagon is a persistent approximately hexagonal cloud pattern around the north pole of the planet Saturn, located at about 78°N. The sides of the hexagon are about 14,500 km (9,000 mi) long, which is about 2,000 km (1,200 mi) longer than the diameter of Earth.

When did Cassini see the North Pole of Saturn?

The north pole was dark when Cassini first arrived in July 2004. The sun really only began to illuminate the entire interior of the hexagon in August 2009, with the start of northern spring. In late 2012, Cassini began making swings over Saturn’s poles, giving it better views of the hexagon.