How long has the hexagon been on Saturn?

A turbulent hexagon-shaped storm has been raging near Saturn’s north pole for at least four decades – we first discovered it in 1981 during the Voyager mission. Even with a front-row view from the Cassini probe however, details on Saturn’s hexagon have been scant.

What is Saturn’s hexagon made of?

One such feature is the hexagon in Saturn’s north pole. This hexagonal feature is made of a jet stream that moves in such a way that it forms a hexagonal shape. This feature has been observed for nearly 40 years and changes colors according to Saturn’s seasons.

Why are there hexagons in nature?

The answer has to do with packing efficiency. If a series of circles were packed on top of each other, there would be empty spaces in between them. But these empty spaces can be avoided by changing the shape to a hexagon. So, the hexagon allows the bees to pack the most cells in the smallest space.

Why does Saturn have hexagonal poles?

They believe that vortexes occur at the planet’s north pole because of atmospheric flows deep within the gas giant, and that these vortexes pinch an intense horizontal jet near the equator—which is what warps the storm into a hexagon.

Is Saturns hexagon a hurricane?

There is a massive, persistent, hexagon-shaped jet stream on Saturn’s north pole — “the perfect six-sided hurricane, 60 miles deep, that could swallow four Earths…”

What does a hexagon mean spiritually?

In sacred geometry and ancient sagas the hexagon represents the potential for life. It is found in sacred shapes like the Flower of Life, which is seen in ancient architecture around the world.

When did Cassini take the picture of Saturn’s hexagon?

In late 2012, Cassini began making swings over Saturn’s poles, giving it better views of the hexagon. The eight frames of the movie were captured over 10 hours on Dec.10, 2012. Each of the eight frames consists of 16 map-projected images (four per color filter, and four filters per frame) so the movie combines data from 128 images total.

Why can’t we see the hexagon at Saturn’s North Pole?

High-resolution views of the hexagon have only recently become possible because of the changing of the seasons at Saturn and changes in the Cassini spacecraft’s orbit. The north pole was dark when Cassini first arrived in July 2004.

What happened to NASA’s Cassini?

Managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, Cassini was an orbiter that observed Saturn for more than 13 years before exhausting its fuel supply. The mission plunged it into the planet’s atmosphere in September 2017, in part to protect its moon Enceladus, which Cassini discovered might hold conditions suitable for life.

When did Cassini see the North Pole of Saturn?

The north pole was dark when Cassini first arrived in July 2004. The sun really only began to illuminate the entire interior of the hexagon in August 2009, with the start of northern spring. In late 2012, Cassini began making swings over Saturn’s poles, giving it better views of the hexagon.