Science

This Is What Saturn’s Biggest Storm Looks Like

Posted on November 19, 2011 at 12:49am by Liz Klimas
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It started off small, as a tiny blip visible to the probe taking pictures of the ringed planet. But the storm on Saturn that started in December 2010 grew quickly and raged on for 200 days making it the “longest planet-encircling tempest” to hit the planet in two decades, Space.com reports.

The following images were taken by the Cassini probe that chronicled the storm from birth to death.

Photo Chronicle of Saturns Largest Planet Encircling Storm

(Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ Space Science Institute)

Wired.com describes what we’re seeing in the following image:

Red and orange colors in this view indicate clouds that are deep in the atmosphere. Yellow and green colors, most noticeable along the top edge of the view, indicate intermediate clouds. White and blue indicate high clouds and haze. The rings appear as a thin horizontal line of bright blue.

(Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)

The head of the storm was captured in late 2010 (see below). It continued to develop eventually encircling the whole planet.

(Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

The below image, according to Wired, was created from 126 images using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of near-infrared light centered at 752 nanometers, which makes the color close but not exact to natural:

The head of the storm is near the center, and a train of vortexes appears as blue spots just to the south of the head. These blue spots are parts of the storm’s tail that have already encircled the planet and are approaching from the west. The blue color indicates they have some high, semi-transparent haze but no thick clouds underneath because there are no white or yellow colored clouds shown here.

(Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)

Scientists look at false color images like this to study details about wind speed and depth of the storm.

(Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)

Find more images of Saturn’s storm here.

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Comments (44)

RightPolitically
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 8:21pm
Great pictures but so darn far away. And what is the mass of Saturn? Just a guess, but probably twenty times that of earth.
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walkintruth
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 7:14pm
The last picture looks like Picasso’s “Starry Night”.
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MUDFLAPS
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 11:57pm
that planet needs to eat more vegetables. oh and throw in a few fat cakes for the first lady so she can widen out a bit. Ill bet she has rings around her also.
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powedj
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 3:10pm
It‘s all George Bush’s fault.
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- deron
  Posted on November 21, 2011 at 10:56am
  Damn Straight
  Report Post »
Winkycat
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 8:59pm
These pictures are all interesting and quite fascinating and would have been significant a few decades ago. But now we are in a world where several nations have their own space program with issues different from ours. Some are basically pragmatic, such as mining the mineral wealth found just in the Van Allene’s belt. Those meteorites have been proved to contain massive amounts of minerals and rare earth minerals so needed in our military to new advancements.
It is time to stop day dreaming about “space tourism” and take a leap forward against other nations and concentrate on space mining. Those pictures will keep on coming even if we switch to mining.
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- cemerius
  Posted on November 21, 2011 at 2:47pm
  @winkycat My thoughts exactly!! Showing me a planet of diamonds makes me want to get out there into the “final fronteir”!!! Of course all this “space travel” is being restricted by the governments of the world and stifle the civilians……Space station in the sky? Nope, plant one on the moon and use it as a mining way station!!! Of course people would think we need tin foil hats with this kind of crazy talk :)
  Report Post »
- Hollywood
  Posted on November 21, 2011 at 3:48pm
  And we can name the first mining ship the Nostradamus!
  Report Post »
Liesmasher
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 11:41am
Couldn’t this have been a hit from a asteroid ?
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- Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
  Posted on November 19, 2011 at 1:43pm
  Not likely, based on the pictures I had seen of Jupiter before, during and for a couple of years after the comet hit there, this appears to be a storm similar to the big red spot on Jupiter, and some of the large surface storms as well.
  Report Post »
- NoRoomForSocialismHere
  Posted on November 19, 2011 at 2:07pm
  Earth has major mountain ranges and huge bodies of water and that is why our weather is managed to some degree. God knew just where to place it all for the best results. Mountains prevent straight winds all the way around the Earth, Oceans help with moisture and some control of heat and cold. The dirt parts are more passive but important in keeping the balance.
  
  Nothing can stop the Sun spots that fried us this past summer, no not even lies from Gore and the Green Lying Machine can out manuver the SUN
  Report Post »
- Pontiac
  Posted on November 19, 2011 at 7:18pm
  [Nothing can stop the Sun spots that fried us this past summer,]
  Yeah, not even a supreme beings that “knew just where to place it all”…
  Report Post »
NunyaBidness
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 11:24am
Darned George Bush! He should have signed those Kyoto Accords and stopped the whole global warming thing when he could. Now it’s affecting Saturn! Before long, the entire solar system will be in trouble!
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- lodgerat
  Posted on November 21, 2011 at 12:53am
  He should be hauled into an International Space Court and charged with destruction of the entire Solar System
  Report Post »
donewithnews
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 10:17am
Saturn is about 10x the diameter of earth (120536:12756), and a “day” on Saturn takes 0.44 earth days. So from sunrise to sunset, Saturn has rotated 360 degrees just over two times. That’s probably why storms appear as bands in its atmosphere.

Probably not a comet hit. Can’t rule it out. But storms in an atmosphere churning like that make storms on earth look like static structures.
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- jb.kibs
  Posted on November 19, 2011 at 11:23am
  that’s pretty cool. it would probably be mind blowing from the surface…
  Report Post »
TheVoice1
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 7:43am
Amazing… as the planets alien with the center of Orion as we are told will happen sometime in late 2012 it is amazing to see a 200 day storm which covers the planet such as this. Our own historical planetary weather changes reflect the tremendous changes in magnetic, as well as other pulls effecting the planetary change within our known universe. With the fact that a full moon has such an effect on our tides, as well as ourselves, I often wonder how this pull now magnifying has on the whole of mankind during this time in history. Is this in fact attributing to the violence we are now seeing world wide… the apparent coldness of men’s hearts towards his fellow man…. the new signs in the heavens… and turmoil in the earths crust… all of which has been predicted through almost every culture and sacred writings culminating in upcoming years… obviously more questions than answers…Amazing, simply amazing..

Stand Strong America

Stand Strong America
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- Eblaze44
  Posted on November 19, 2011 at 9:42am
  Humans have ALWAYs been violent towards one another – it is no different today than 4,000 years ago. Humans are at constant war with each other – most often for expansion and or to acquire a better place to live, grow crops or raise animals. But then for stranger reasons like what people believe – Islam and Christianity come to mind as people who subjugate and war for the purpose of spreading their beliefs onto other people – of course – the theft of gold and natural resources didn’t have anything to do with it either.
  
  There has always been violence – there will always be violence from humans against other humans.
  Report Post »
Baddoggy
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 7:15am
Scientists look at false color images like this to study details about wind speed and depth of the storm.

I dont know about you guys but I feel all toasty inside knowing we are giving money to morons for research.
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Eliasim
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 7:04am
More importantly, from watching the other planets it may become obvious that the sun isn’t only affecting the earth, but also the other planets. And then you will know there isn’t a darn thing anyone can do about it.
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Netsurfer2
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 3:25am
Oops! There goes all my carbon credits! We better get AL Gore on the phone so that he can put a wind mill on that planet to keep the power going on earth! We will have to look into this size taking up to much space! Maybe we can send a solar powered space monkey family to explorer or even better yet Hillary to give more of our money away! LOL!!!
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- 4xeverything
  Posted on November 19, 2011 at 6:59am
  We could do that…orrrrrr…we could listen to an Al (oops, threw-up-in-my-mouth-a-little) Gore original poem featuring Saturns sexy rings and then commit mass suicide. It’s a toss up for me.
  Report Post »
- TEXASGRANNY73
  Posted on November 19, 2011 at 3:48pm
  @4XEverything We could send Hillary.
  Report Post »
qzak491
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 2:40am
Has anyone considered the fact that WHO CARES and WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE what happens on Saturn. These pictures are pretty but so is a kalidascope.

Those last two pictures look a lot like an oil slick on a puddle.
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- nelbert
  Posted on November 19, 2011 at 5:54am
  So you’re too narrow minded to pull your head out of the political crap heap long enough to take in a different topic?
  “Who cares” is the type of question you get from lazy school children that want to justify their mediocrity and apathy. Do you have the same contempt for the exploration of space that brought you a tidal wave of technological innovations – or are you too young and spoiled?
  Report Post »
- decendentof56
  Posted on November 19, 2011 at 6:29am
  Q……..
  Stories of the other-worldly atmosphere of Saturn and the other-worldly Chris Matthews… both on the same day?
  Did not Nostradamus predict this?
  Report Post »
- Dougral Supports Israel
  Posted on November 19, 2011 at 6:30am
  Space exploration is one government expense that has my full approval. A lot of knowledge and innovation comes from it. Studying storms on Saturn may not seem significant but how much technology was developed in order to get the Cassini probe out there? What we learn from the space program may one day save us from a huge asteroid strike or just be the basis for some cool new gadget.
  Report Post »
- SomeRandomPerson
  Posted on November 19, 2011 at 6:36am
  Some people are actually interested in stuff like this. Look at it this way, it’s a nice break from hearing about those friggin protesters and all that political garbage for a change.
  Report Post »
- liberalsarealiens
  Posted on November 19, 2011 at 7:23am
  Nelbert,
  
  Well said!
  Report Post »
- RavenGlenn
  Posted on November 19, 2011 at 11:13am
  I know some of the religious right think it’s a waste of time to actually do scientific research and study what is out there…but sorry guys, the rest of us actually want to know how things work and why.
  Report Post »
- TEXASGRANNY73
  Posted on November 19, 2011 at 3:51pm
  @Nelbert You are right but sometimes people are funny. There are not that many comments yet so it seems to me we chose to look at this site. I did anyway. Space is fascinating.
  Report Post »
MickyD
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 2:24am
FYI, the next visit to ISS is PRIVATE design from a US company. SpaceX is prepping the Falcon 9 with a Dragon supply capsule for a Nov. 30 launch. The Dragon capsule can be configured to carry up to 9 people or upto 6000kg of cargo. So don’t be so upset when you see China and Russia launching. The US has the only viable private space industry… it’s time to put NASA to bed anyway. It’s getting sleepy. (note this isn’t making the news much… a private company doing what a government agency can’t, hmmmm)

http://www.spacex.com/updates.php
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- Baddoggy
  Posted on November 19, 2011 at 7:17am
  You think a private company can do anything space related without the Government sticking their noose in? hahahahaha Cant even buy fireworks thay are worth a damn anymore.
  Report Post »
Noonien_Soong
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 2:22am
From and old parable: “I shot an arrow into the air, where it fell I know not “..
I would only speculate that a giant comet or asteroid or some other body collided with Saturn that caused a disturbance in Saturn’s atmosphere. Think about it, something similar happened on Jupiter when the remnats of an asteroid descended into it’s atmosphere which telescopes captured those images. The impact may have happened on the other side of Saturn where no one caught site of it.
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V-MAN MACE
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 1:30am
Look at the random vortex street in that storm…dynamic.
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MTCOWBOY711
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 1:23am
Maybe we can rent a ride on a Russian or Chinese rocket to get to the “INTERNATIONAL” space station and study this. Or has the Palestinian veto at the UN denied us passage?
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82dAirborne
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 1:19am
Appx how big was the storm? (square miles) What were the winds like?? Mph? Did it rain? Rain what? Water? Methane? Snow?? Tornados? Hurricanes?

Do more than cut and paste stories PLEASE!
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- Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
  Posted on November 19, 2011 at 1:36am
  By any chance was that Michael Moore the satellite caught impacting on Saturn that caused the storm?
  
  And yes they could have added more details.
  Report Post »
Smokey_Bojangles
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 1:14am
How is Al Gore Going to blame SUV’s for this?
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Conservative_T-Rex
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 1:13am
An Inconvenient Truth 2: Saturn
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TheGreyPiper
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 12:57am
Global Warming (TM) strikes again!
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- lukerw
  Posted on November 19, 2011 at 1:06pm
  Export Gobal Warming… not Jobs :)
  Report Post »
Psychosis
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 12:55am
manmade climate change ????

so thats where liberals go after doing something stu.pid and dying
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- cyclops
  Posted on November 19, 2011 at 11:19am
  I wouldn’t mind such a storm to surgically strike areas where the occupiers are located…….LOL!!!!
  Report Post »

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