South Polar Vortex Discovered on Titan
Explanation:
What's happening over the south pole of Titan?
A vortex of
haze
appears to be forming, although no one is sure why.
The
above natural-color image
shows the light-colored feature.
The
vortex was
found on images taken last month when the robotic
Cassini spacecraft
flew by the unusual atmosphere-shrouded moon of Saturn.
Cassini was only able to see the
southern vortex because
its orbit
around Saturn was recently boosted out of the plane where
the rings and moons move.
Clues as to what created the enigmatic feature are accumulating, including that
Titan's air appears to
be sinking in the center and rising around the edges.
Winter, however, is slowly descending on the south of Titan, so that
the vortex, if it survives,
will be plunged into darkness over the next few years.
ASOW:
A
Few Bits about Quantum Theory, Part 1 by Dr. Paul Doherty
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.
