Big storm on Saturn |
Big storm on Saturn |
Dec 15 2010, 12:37 AM
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#1
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Member Group: Members Posts: 701 Joined: 3-December 04 From: Boulder, Colorado, USA Member No.: 117 |
The solar system is a happening place this week! I just learned of a major storm in Saturn's northern hemisphere, being monitored by the usual band of talented amateurs. See this site for a list of recent images. Chris Go's site has a particularly nice image.
John |
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Jan 28 2011, 05:16 PM
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#61
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 94 Joined: 22-March 06 Member No.: 722 |
^
That seems to be the pattern: white spots blowing up, and fairly quickly spreading out into a latitudinal zone until it eventually loses its identity. -------------------- Mayor: Er, Master Betty, what is the Evil Council's plan?
Master Betty: Nyah. Haha. It is EVIL, it is so EVIL. It is a bad, bad plan, which will hurt many... people... who are good. I think it's great that it's so bad. -Kung Pow: Enter the Fist |
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Jan 30 2011, 08:15 AM
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#62
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 4 Joined: 28-December 10 Member No.: 5587 |
So, exactly what kind of storm is this? Is this a massive thunderstorm complex? It would be interesting to really get down to what this is, specifically. If the original spot is a massive collection of thunderclouds, does this mean that they spread out to create a band around the planet?
-------------------- "Yes! To you, Baldrick, the Renaissance...was was just something that happened to other people, wasn't it??"
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Jan 30 2011, 06:03 PM
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#63
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 2785 Joined: 10-November 06 From: Pasadena, CA Member No.: 1345 |
I think there is a massive anticyclonic upwelling from a lower layer, and the white stuff is just the upper level turbulence and shear between belts and zones are making high clouds that are extending and encircling the planet.
Unless the upwelling is able to self-sustain, it'll eventually run out of steam (probably literally!) and the upper clouds will dissipate. I may be wrong, but I think of this as a hurricane sucking in energy at a lower warmer level (where there is a cyclonic flow we can't observe), then moving it up the central column, where it pushes outwards at the lower cooler level. The whole thing driven by the upper and lower level temperature differential and the transfer of energy via condensation of ....water? ammonia?. That's my guess... -------------------- Some higher resolution images available at my photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/
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Jan 30 2011, 09:22 PM
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#64
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 4 Joined: 28-December 10 Member No.: 5587 |
I emailed Carolyn Porco to find out if they were going to investigate lightning flashes within that storm, and I was told they would attempt it. I wonder if it would be possible to check for lightning flashes from the night side of Saturn. Because...if this is an upwelling of thunderstorms, I'd imagine there would be some intense lightning there.
-------------------- "Yes! To you, Baldrick, the Renaissance...was was just something that happened to other people, wasn't it??"
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Jan 30 2011, 09:56 PM
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#65
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1583 Joined: 14-October 05 From: Vermont Member No.: 530 |
They "hear" lighting with the radio science instrument, if I recall correctly. As stated earlier, seeing it's a lot tougher with a still camera that they generally point at the daylight side of the planet.
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Jan 30 2011, 10:10 PM
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#66
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 3233 Joined: 11-February 04 From: Tucson, AZ Member No.: 23 |
The RPWS can "listen" for electrical discharges from lightning in the storm, but actually looking for lightning on Saturn on the planet's nightside requires dedicated observations that are planned 6-12 months in advance. Another issue to keep in mind is that the northern hemisphere is currently being illuminated by Saturn's rings, which can complicate lightning detection.
-------------------- &@^^!% Jim! I'm a geologist, not a physicist!
The Gish Bar Times - A Blog all about Jupiter's Moon Io |
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Jan 31 2011, 05:54 AM
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#67
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Member Group: Members Posts: 259 Joined: 23-January 05 From: Seattle, WA Member No.: 156 |
And even the southern hemisphere is somewhat illuminated by forward-scattered light from the rings. (Though maybe it's no worse than night time on Earth illuminated by a full moon - I've never researched it.)
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Feb 6 2011, 10:32 PM
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#68
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3516 Joined: 4-November 05 From: North Wales Member No.: 542 |
It appears the storm now has a ghostly neighbour: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/imag...6/W00066521.jpg
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Feb 6 2011, 10:48 PM
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#69
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Lord Of The Uranian Rings Group: Members Posts: 798 Joined: 18-July 05 From: Plymouth, UK Member No.: 437 |
-------------------- |
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Feb 7 2011, 02:22 AM
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#70
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 2785 Joined: 10-November 06 From: Pasadena, CA Member No.: 1345 |
Animated blink between Jan 15th and February 4 images in false color [MT3,MT2,CB2]:
I think the "ghost" is a vortex riding the wake of the western edge of the storm front. -------------------- Some higher resolution images available at my photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/
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Feb 7 2011, 02:29 AM
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#71
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 3233 Joined: 11-February 04 From: Tucson, AZ Member No.: 23 |
It appears the storm now has a ghostly neighbour: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/imag...6/W00066521.jpg No, that's the same storm. It has just now met its tail. -------------------- &@^^!% Jim! I'm a geologist, not a physicist!
The Gish Bar Times - A Blog all about Jupiter's Moon Io |
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Feb 7 2011, 02:37 AM
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#72
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 2785 Joined: 10-November 06 From: Pasadena, CA Member No.: 1345 |
Whoo-woo! All aboard the storm train! Here's a non-time sequenced animation of the storm, ordered by faked Saturn rotation:
[Animated GIF - click to animate] Sequence of images is 1/12, 2/4, 1/15, 1/15. -------------------- Some higher resolution images available at my photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/
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Feb 7 2011, 05:02 AM
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#73
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8784 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Wow. Damn.
Times like this I remember how back in the day the meme was that the outer Solar System was presumed to be nearly static for lack of solar energy...man, talk about a swing & a miss in SO many, many ways that we know about already, and probably a lot more that we don't know yet! -------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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Guest_Sunspot_* |
Feb 7 2011, 08:34 AM
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#74
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Guests |
Are they going to get any high resolution images of it?
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Feb 25 2011, 12:52 PM
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#75
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 2785 Joined: 10-November 06 From: Pasadena, CA Member No.: 1345 |
Wow!!!
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/raw/rawi...?imageID=233338 Lots of high resolution IR images down on the Cassini raws page. -------------------- Some higher resolution images available at my photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/
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