Huge cyclone churns at Saturn’s north pole
The closest look yet at the ringed planet’s poles offers detailed views of massive storms, with strange differences between north and south.
By Ron Cowen
Hurricanes Ike and Katrina can’t hold a candle to the giant storm centers on Saturn. Planetary scientists have gotten their closest look yet at polar hurricanes on the ringed planet, and find that the storms are big enough to engulf Earth.
Researchers unveiled the images on October 13 in Ithaca, N.Y., at the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society’s Division for Planetary Sciences.
The Cassini spacecraft, which has been touring Saturn and its moons since 2004, took the images in July.