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Big storm on Saturn
john_s
post Dec 15 2010, 12:37 AM
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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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nprev
post Dec 15 2010, 03:58 AM
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That's a big 'un! Is Cassini in any kind of a position (both orbitally & in terms of planning flexibility) to snap a few close-ups?


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volcanopele
post Dec 15 2010, 08:34 AM
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Of course it is in a position, but always remember, Cassini observations are planned months in advance and changes in the observation plan almost never happen (trust me, we tried). Near the end of Rev142, there are a couple of quick imaging opportunities with the WAC but nothing extensive. The storm should be visible during the December 24 observation. The next orbit, Rev143 has many more Saturn observations, so hopefully the storm will stick around till then.


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stevesliva
post Dec 16 2010, 06:55 PM
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I hate to ask this question, but I'm really curious. If Cassini had a scan platform, would on-demand retargeting be a lot more feasible? I'm thinking, yes, we'd simply be trading off imaging vs. imaging, not imaging vs. the whole suite. But I don't know enough about the sequencing. Would a spacecraft with a scan platform have a separate sequence for the scan platform that could be modified by itself?
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Toma B
post Dec 16 2010, 07:31 PM
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Maybe Hubble Space Telescope can snap some nice image of this BIG NEW STORM.
Does any member of UMSF knows somebody in Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)?


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john_s
post Dec 16 2010, 11:56 PM
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QUOTE (stevesliva @ Dec 16 2010, 07:55 PM) *
I hate to ask this question, but I'm really curious. If Cassini had a scan platform, would on-demand retargeting be a lot more feasible?


It would certainly be simpler, but nothing in spacecraft operations is simple. There would still be numerous issues to be resolved- what pre-planned observations would be displaced, where would the data be put and when would they be downloaded, thermal implications of the new scan platform orientation would have to be checked, and new command sequences would have to be developed and tested. The Mars Rovers are always responding to new information on ~24 hour timescales, but they and their operations are designed from the ground up to be able to do that. Orbital missions are never that flexible.

John
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Ian R
post Dec 17 2010, 06:30 AM
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This seems to be a re-occurring phenomenon on Saturn - remember the large equatorial outbreak of 1990?

http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/r...s/1991/1991/04/

Of course, English actor and comedian Will Hay is famous for (probably) being the first astronomer to observe one of these white spots, back in 1933:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Hay#Private_life


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Juramike
post Dec 25 2010, 12:13 AM
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Nice shot of Saturn storm taken by Cassini (props to VP): http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/imag...5/W00065990.jpg

Using the Solar System calculator to get the actual time of observation (caption indicated 1.323 M km away) sets it at 12/22/2010 23:40 UTC. This observation seemed like it would be nicely centered on Saturn's sunlight hemisphere and thus nicely visible from Earth.

Using a rotation rate of 10:47 h for Saturn, and propagating forward, here is an EXCEL table observation times where the storm should be centered on Saturn's visible disk on Earth. (Times are UTC and EST). Saturn rises around 3 AM and is better viewed closer to morning as it rises higher in the pre-dawn sky. I put "XXX" for view times where the storm is likely to be best. (Hopefully I got all the calculations right):

Attached File  Saturn_Storm_spotting_from_Earth__Dec_22_2010___Jan_4_2011_.xls ( 23.5K ) Number of downloads: 677




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Ian R
post Dec 25 2010, 02:19 PM
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Attached Image


Right, I'm off to eat my Christmas dinner... wink.gif


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centsworth_II
post Dec 25 2010, 06:30 PM
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QUOTE (Ian R @ Dec 25 2010, 09:19 AM) *
Right, I'm off to eat my Christmas dinner... wink.gif

Thanks for the picture and... MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Attached Image
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nprev
post Dec 25 2010, 06:46 PM
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1. Wow. Look at that churned atmosphere! Remarkable.

2. Dude, Santa is like totally ripping that peak! laugh.gif Merry Christmas, all.


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antipode
post Dec 25 2010, 10:28 PM
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Wow. It looks a *little* bit like Karman vortex street. I wonder what its 'downwind' of smile.gif

P
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volcanopele
post Dec 27 2010, 04:14 PM
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Images from December 24 are hitting the ground and the pages for them are on the JPL raw images page:

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/raw/rawi...?imageID=230977

Enjoy!

Even more dramatic in the BL1 filter:

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/raw/rawi...?imageID=230973


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Stu
post Dec 27 2010, 04:40 PM
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Fascinating...

Not really my planet, but I've had a go, just messing about really..

Attached Image


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ugordan
post Dec 27 2010, 05:41 PM
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My quick version using CB2/GRN/BL1:

Attached Image


EDIT: Ugh, that'll teach me to do color composites on a laptop screen... Image replaced with an improved version. I didn't want to use CB2 as full resolution luminance as the storm contrast is quite different from the visible channels, especially in the tail. Too bad it wasn't the GRN that was full res.


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