Southern Saturn from Cassini
Explanation:
What happens to Saturn's pervasive clouds at its South Pole?
Visible in the above image of Saturn are
bright bands,
dark belts
and a dark spot right over the
South Pole.
The
above image in infrared light spans over 30,000 kilometers and was taken early
last month by the robot
Cassini spacecraft currently orbiting Saturn.
Saturn's atmosphere
is about 75 percent
hydrogen, 25 percent
helium, and small amounts of heavier compounds including
water vapor,
methane, and
ammonia.
The relatively low gravity at
Saturn's cloud tops result in a thicker
haze layer, which in turn makes
atmospheric features blurrier than
Jupiter.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
