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New Hi-Res Footage Shows Saturn's Mysterious Hexagon Like Never Before
i09.com ^ | Robert T. Gonzalez

Posted on 02/14/2014 12:47:21 AM PST by Windflier

You're looking at a newly released 8-frame movie of Saturn's enigmatic "hexagon." It is the highest-resolution footage ever acquired of the massive six-sided maelstrom atop the ringed planet's north pole, and boy howdy is it gorgeous.

For the uninitiated, Saturn's uncannily symmetric cloud system measures roughly 20,000-miles across, and is utterly unique in our solar system. Its dimensions and dynamics are just bizarre.

At the hexagon's center whirls a tightly wound hurricane roughly fifty-times larger than the average hurricane-eye on Earth.

About it spins an assortment of smaller vortices, caught up in the hexagon's jet stream, that rotate clockwise, even as the central hurricane, and the outer hexagon, rotate in the opposite direction. The largest of the smaller vortices, appearing white in the lower right corner of the hexagon, spans about 2,200 miles – roughly twice the size of Earth's largest hurricanes.

(Excerpt) Read more at io9.com ...


TOPICS: Arts/Photography; Astronomy; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: astronomy; hexagon; saturn
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One of the weirdest mysteries in our solar system. Check out the images at the link.
1 posted on 02/14/2014 12:47:21 AM PST by Windflier
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To: Windflier

That is VERY freaky. Espically the really dark video on the bottom. That just shouldn’t oughtta be happening like that there...


2 posted on 02/14/2014 12:55:53 AM PST by Mr. K (If you like your constitution, you can keep it...Period.)
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To: Mr. K; Windflier

“That is VERY freaky. Espically the really dark video on the bottom. That just shouldn’t oughtta be happening like that there...”

This was posted a few weeks ago as well. So weird I had to learn more. It turns out that it is not all that unexpected when it comes to fluid dynamics. The rotation of one thing at one density bound by another medium of a different density is the cause. Various speeds and densities will give all sorts of types of polygons. Pretty cool though, and pretty amazing that we can get images of it.


3 posted on 02/14/2014 1:03:54 AM PST by 21twelve (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2185147/posts 2013 is 1933 REBORN)
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To: SunkenCiv

Astro-ping.


4 posted on 02/14/2014 1:05:04 AM PST by Squawk 8888 (I'd give up chocolate but I'm no quitter)
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To: Windflier

Excellent post! Thanks!


5 posted on 02/14/2014 1:31:03 AM PST by Daffynition ("If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." ~ Henry Ford)
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To: Windflier

Oh wow. Beautiful. It’s amazing. Thank you so much for finding and posting.


6 posted on 02/14/2014 1:45:51 AM PST by Gefn (No whammies)
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To: Windflier

7 posted on 02/14/2014 2:36:43 AM PST by iowamark (I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy)
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To: Windflier

Obviously some sort of prison for intergalactic bad guys. DON’T MESS WITH IT!!!


8 posted on 02/14/2014 2:51:49 AM PST by Moltke (Sapere aude!)
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To: Windflier

Thank you. Where does the roaring, crackling sound that accompanied the video come from? Is it possibly the actual sound that’s generated by the rings as they whirl and swirl around the planet? I once read in a NASA display of planets that it’s very noisy around Saturn. That the objects of all sizes of material which make up the rings; some as large as large buildings, ceaselessly banging and scraping into each other as they circle the planet, make a horrendous amount of noise. (To borrow a phrase: “Inquiring minds want to know”).


9 posted on 02/14/2014 2:54:14 AM PST by Tucker39 ("Having their conscience seared with a hot iron.")
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To: Windflier

Gonzalez’s use of the word “maelstrom” in the opening paragraph tends to ad credence to the idea of NOISE surrounding Saturn.


10 posted on 02/14/2014 2:59:26 AM PST by Tucker39 ("Having their conscience seared with a hot iron.")
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To: Windflier

Our solar system is being targeted.


11 posted on 02/14/2014 3:10:52 AM PST by Berlin_Freeper
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To: 21twelve

Google ‘cymatics’. I suspect that has a lot to do with this phenomenon.


12 posted on 02/14/2014 3:27:05 AM PST by AustinBill (consequence is what makes our choices real)
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To: AustinBill

Interesting. Perhaps the hexagon is a reflection of Saturn’s natural harmonic.


13 posted on 02/14/2014 3:54:36 AM PST by Flick Lives ("I can't believe it's not Fascism!")
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To: Windflier

The human soul looks the same when viewed from the top down. It’s the reason for the mandalas representing human consciousness.


14 posted on 02/14/2014 4:08:52 AM PST by tired&retired
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To: Tucker39

There would be no sound transmission in space.


15 posted on 02/14/2014 4:25:01 AM PST by bitterohiogunclinger (Proudly casting a heavy carbon footprint as I clean my guns ---)
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To: Windflier

I once watch a clip that investigated the tonal qualities of bells. Part of the clip showed a bell upside down filled with water and various “strikes” were applied.

In some instances the waves produced in the water took on shapes like the ones shown in the video at the link. I’d imagine that it had something to do with standing waves and resonances.


16 posted on 02/14/2014 4:29:06 AM PST by Gaffer (Comprehensive Immigration Reform is just another name for Comprehensive Capitulation)
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To: bitterohiogunclinger

In space no one can hear you scream.....


17 posted on 02/14/2014 4:32:47 AM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
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To: Windflier
Even with continents, this same Coriolis effect is more than recognizable here on earth: http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=-77.72,-91.53,303
18 posted on 02/14/2014 4:36:06 AM PST by Errant (Surround yourself with intelligent and industrious people who help and support each other.)
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To: Windflier

Oh my gosh - It’s full of stars!


19 posted on 02/14/2014 4:36:56 AM PST by PlateOfShrimp
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To: iowamark
A giant bolt....

When it finally unscrews.....

...all of Obamas hidden documents will come pouring out.

20 posted on 02/14/2014 5:20:30 AM PST by spokeshave (OMG.......Schadenfreude overload is not covered under Obamacare :-()
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