Scientists discover new information about Saturn's hexagon

We are used to facing the consequences of heavy storms, especially in the summer. By happy coincidence, South America is not a conducive place for hurricane formation, which is often devastating and causes numerous unrest. These phenomena, however aggressive, are already known to everyone, but have you ever wondered what would be the difference of a storm that has a hexagonal shape?

Hexagon storm

Since the 1980s, when the two Voyager probes were launched to study Jupiter and Saturn, scientists have known of the existence of the hexagon. As they approached Saturn, both spacecraft recorded so much information that data from 1980 to 1981 were only analyzed in 1988 when they realized that something was different.

As curious as the formation was at least 38 years ago, probe launching is a time consuming and expensive process. Therefore, it was not until 2004, when the Cassini spacecraft reached its objectives, that scientists confirmed the structure's existence and received a considerable amount of data for analysis.

Besides the shape, the size of the hexagon is amazing. 32, 000 kilometers wide, it would be possible to position two Earths within it, and there would still be space between them. The only certainty is that there is a storm in the center; On the other hand, there are not many hints as to why the structure has almost straight sides, unlike interesting phenomena here on Earth.

One of the possibilities raised is that the shape is the result of the contact that occurred between two fluid bodies that, when rotating at different speeds, gave rise to what is visualized. Another explanation would be by direction and speed of air currents, but so far the researchers have not come to any conclusion.

Summer visions

Information from the Cassini spacecraft is still under analysis, but, along with data from the Voyager probes, it was sufficient to develop a new study that may have made some progress in seeking an explanation.

Until recently, scientists believed the formation was under the planet's low atmosphere, but recently published material showed that this strange storm is 290 kilometers above the troposphere, even reaching the stratosphere.

The major difference between the information obtained by the two probes was that by orbiting the planet for a considerable time, the Cassini spacecraft was able to record hexagon data at different times. During the first observations, the infrared readings (heat) were not relevant, because it was winter in the region and temperatures were very low.

Over time, the region warmed, and the hexagon began to appear in infrared wavelengths. Watching the same shape at such a high altitude made all the difference. One of the authors of the study, Frenchwoman Sandrine Guerlet of Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique, explained: “As the polar vortex became more and more visible in the stratosphere, we noticed that it had hexagonal edges and we realized that we were seeing the pre-hexagon. much higher altitudes than previously thought. ”

This finding was a huge step in understanding the structure, but has not yet brought the reasons for the unusual format. Other storms were identified in the southern region of the planet, but with conventional shapes. The researchers believe that there is an asymmetry between the two poles, which would explain this difference, but only a new mission could obtain the data that would confirm this hypothesis.

It remains for us to encourage space exploration and always seek more knowledge about the entire solar system and the universe. For many people, this may be pointless and pointless when considering global reality, but discoveries like this can change our lives in ways we can't even imagine.

***

Do you know the Mega Curioso newsletter? Weekly, we produce exclusive content for lovers of the biggest curiosities and bizarres of this big world! Register your email and do not miss this way to keep in touch!