Winds forming the eye wall of the storm on Saturn bluster along at four times the speed of Earth’s hurricane-force winds. On Earth, hurricane winds can exceed 240 kilometers per hour (150 miles per hour), similar to the speed of the jet stream, just about the fastest wind on the planet. © javascript is enabled. "The polar hurricane has nowhere else to go, and that's likely why it's stuck at the pole," Kunio Sayanagi, a Cassini imaging team associate at Hampton University in Hampton, Va., said in a statement.So scientists plan to study how the Saturn storm feeds off atmospheric water vapor, in the hopes of gaining insight into hurricanes here on Earth (which gain their strength from warm ocean water).Cassini's instruments detected the Saturn storm shortly after the probe arrived in orbit around the ringed planet in 2004. Your browser or your browser's settings are not supported. Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor,
Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offerThe spinning vortex of Saturn's north polar storm resembles a deep red rose surrounded by green foliage in this false-color image from NASA's Cassini spacecraft. "But there it is at Saturn, on a much larger scale, and it is somehow getting by on the small amounts of water vapor in Saturn's hydrogen atmosphere."
Shares. The hurricane was in darkness at the time, however, because it was the middle of the northern Saturn winter.So Cassini had to wait for the onset of the northern spring in August 2009 to get a good look at the hurricane in visible light.
You will receive a verification email shortly.There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.Space is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. By Mike Wall 29 April 2013. The north pole of Saturn, in the fresh light of spring, is revealed in this color image from NASA's Cassini spacecraft. The speed of Saturn's hurricane is 330 mph, while a level 5 hurricane on Earth is at 156 mph. Monster Hurricane on Saturn Spied by NASA Spacecraft.
Saturn radiates more energy into space than it receives from the Sun. To get the best experience possible, please download a compatible browser. Though spinning furiously, hurricanes travel along at a much slower pace -- eight to 32 kilometers per hour (five to 20 miles per hour). If you know your browser is up to date, you should check to ensure that
The storm's eye is about 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers) across with cloud speeds as fast as 330 mph (530 kph). NASA - National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationImage right: Two Saturnian storms swirl in the region informally dubbed "storm alley" by scientists. Winds in Saturn's upper atmosphere can reach speeds of 1,800 kilometers (1,118 miles) per hour near its equator.
These winds are four times the speed of the Earth's jet streams and more than four times the definition of a hurricane force wind on Earth.
Spectacular new images from a NASA spacecraft orbiting Saturn have captured the most detailed views ever of an enormous hurricane churning around the ringed planet's north pole. Saturn is different because its jet stream is much stronger. "Observing the planet from different vantage points reveals more about the cloud layers that cover the entirety of the planet. [Saturn's hurricane swirls inside a mysterious, six-sided vortex.
After all, the Saffir-Simpson Scale deals with hurricane DAMAGE.
New York,
Technically, it’d stay as a Category 5, if not given a category at all. (Hurricane force winds blow at 74 mph, or 119 kilometers per hour.) "Get breaking space news and the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!Thank you for signing up to Space.