Astronomy Journal Entry
Mysterious Hot Spot at Saturn’s Pole (January 21, 2008)

Thanks to new pictures from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, astronomers spotted a mysterious hot spot at Saturn’s chilly north pole. The spot is a spinning vortex of gases much hotter than its surroundings.

A similar spot was found earlier on Saturn’s south pole, currently bathed in sunlight. But astronomers were shocked to find a matching one on the wintry north pole, where the Sun hasn’t been shining since 1995.

The hot spots are likely due to currents plunging down into the troposphere or weather layer of the atmosphere from higher altitudes. As gas in the atmosphere moves down towards the poles, it gets …. (more)

Polar view showing hot spot and hexagonal ring at Saturn’s north pole.
NASA JPL.

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