Just when you thought the Solar System couldn't possibly get any weirder...

Zaphod

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...along comes this little gem:

SaturnNASA_AP_468x397.jpg


Mysterious hexagon spotted above Saturn

A mysterious giant hexagon lies above Saturn's north pole, captured by cameras on Nasa's Cassini Orbiter.

Spanning 25,000km - equivalent to the width of two planet Earths - the bizarre geometric feature appears to remain virtually still in the atmosphere as clouds swirl around it.

The infra-red images show the hexagon - which contains a smaller six-sided formation - extends about 60km down into the clouds.

The hexagon is similar to Earth's polar vortex, which has winds blowing in a circular pattern around the polar region. On Saturn, the vortex has a hexagonal shape.

The six-sided shape is in stark contrast to the swirling, hurricane-like vortex at Saturn's opposite pole.

The feature was first photographed more than 20 years ago by Nasa's Voyager 1 and 2 probes, but this is the first time the hexagon has been seen in one image.

The latest pictures were taken at nighttime using infra-red because the pole is currently in darkness and the red colour indicates the amount of heat being generated from inside the planet.

Kevin Baines of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said: "This is a very strange feature, lying in a precise geometric fashion with six nearly equally straight sides.

"We've never seen anything like this on any other planet. Indeed, Saturn's thick atmosphere where circularly-shaped waves and convective cells dominate is perhaps the last place you'd expect to see such a six-sided geometric figure, yet there it is."

Sometimes it's fun to be reminded just how insignificant we really are in the Great Scheme of Things. :cool:
 
You ever just lay on your roof at night and gaze at the stars and wonder... "why am i here? how did i get here..... does the universe really exist? or does it because i allow it to exist?"
 
You ever just lay on your roof at night and gaze at the stars and wonder... "why am i here? how did i get here..... does the universe really exist? or does it because i allow it to exist?"

Not really, no. It's 5K level offense for getting on the roof of Bancroft...
 
Since when has that stopped anyone?

Since a mid fell to his death last year after going up there just to have a smoke...

but hey, I'm only 20...the teenage invincibility has yet to fully wear off
 
Wow. I hadn't heard that one! :eek:

Sheesh. What a waste. :frown:






To steer back onto a more enjoyable topic (the Great Octagon In The Sky), I for one welcome our new Galactic Honey Bee Overlords! :biggrin:
 
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