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from the it's-that-bloody-dress-again! dept.
Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard
It's like nothing we've seen on any other planet in the entire Universe, and now the mysterious structure on Saturn's north pole just got even weirder.
In just four years, Saturn's hexagon has changed its colour from blue to gold. So far, our best guess as to why this change occurred is that this is what it looks like when Saturn's north pole gears up for next year's summer solstice.
Discovered almost 30 years ago, Saturn's hexagon is a six-sided structure that spans roughly 32,000 km (20,000 miles) in diameter, and extends about 100 km (60 miles) down into the planet's dense atmosphere.
As observed by NASA's Voyager and Cassini spacecraft, each point of the hexagon appears to rotate at its centre at nearly the same rate that Saturn rotates on its axis. Along the rim of the hexagon, a jet stream of air is blasting eastward at speeds of 321 km/h (200 mph).
Based on its size and movements, scientists have concluded that it's a vast cloud pattern generated by a gigantic, perpetual hurricane spinning at the centre of the planet's north pole.
Scientists estimate that this storm has been raging for decades - maybe even centuries.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 27 2016, @10:09AM
It's like nothing we've seen on any other planet in the entire Universe
Translation: nothing like that on the other seven planets in the Solar System. Other three if you only count gas giants.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Thursday October 27 2016, @10:24AM
I had almost the same comment. It's not like we've explored hundreds of thousands of planets, up close and personal. Or millions. Or trillions. What we have are a handful of planets and other smaller rocks orbiting one star for comparison. Phhhtttt - you've really got to wonder about the credentials of these authors.
It's like I discover a new species of animals, and ONE of them is somehow different. Most of the critters are a golden tan color. But that other one is definitely brown. So, I write an article about that one critter, "No other thingamabob has ever been seen with this coloration!" I'll just neglect to say that mankind has only ever observed sixteen of these animals. There might be zillions of them, but we've only ever seen sixteen for comparison. Maybe the brown critter is actually the norm, and the golden tans are abnormal within the greater population that we haven't seen yet.
(Score: 5, Touché) by SixGunMojo on Thursday October 27 2016, @11:35AM
Well they are technically correct, just a very small sample size. I was more struck by this line -
...Discovered almost 30 years ago, Saturn's hexagon is a six-sided structure that spans roughly 32,000 km (20,000 miles) in diameter ....
Is this a no-shit-sherlock statement or are there hexagons of which I am unaware that have a number of sides other than six?
Full disclosure, my sample size is also pretty small and confined to one planet. ;-)
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday October 27 2016, @03:56PM
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday October 27 2016, @06:21PM
I know they keep cutting budgets, but that's an "are you smarter than a first grader" question...
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday October 27 2016, @07:11PM
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday October 27 2016, @07:48PM
It depends on what your definition of "is," is.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Thursday October 27 2016, @08:57PM
Not everyone knows what a hexagon is.
Yes, indeed. They might be thinking of a pentagon, or a septagon, or a nonagon. But not an octagon. Point being, they should not admit such extreme ignorance, and for the writer to help them out like this is condescending and downright rude.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday October 27 2016, @09:42PM
Point being, they should not admit such extreme ignorance, and for the writer to help them out like this is condescending and downright rude.
The word you're missing here is "helpful". You can always just not read a article which is not near perfectly geared to your level of competence.
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Friday October 28 2016, @06:41AM
KHALLOW! You are not helping! How am I supposed to tell the difference between a hexagon, and a Hex-be-Gone, that my preacher assures me will block the warts sent to me by my wicked half-brother/quarter cousin, Mighty Buzzard? What about the dodecahedrons? Oh, crap, they do not teach basic solids geometry any more? And I thought the inability to do stats was a problem. OK, as an ancient Greek, I gotta say, your education system has really failed to reach a common core. F, it's math, you all, and mathe in Greek means lessons, school lessons. Psst.
(Score: 2) by JeanCroix on Thursday October 27 2016, @04:44PM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 27 2016, @09:12PM
Mountain out of a mole-hill. It is redundant, but also an educational writing format.
But hey, +5 for nitpicking!
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday October 27 2016, @12:23PM
Giant long lived storm - do any red spots come to mind? Granted, a polar hurricane is a novelty, but not giant long lived vortices.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 27 2016, @01:52PM
but the great red spot has SEVEN SIDES
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 27 2016, @01:51PM
Nothing we've ever seen?
Wrong.
I remember a certain dress that looked gold or blue depending on who was looking.