Exploring the fringes of science and history. Caveat lector!

Swirling Vortex of Saturn

Posted by Greg at 07:38, 28 Nov 2012

At the centre of the famous 'pentagon' situated at Saturn's north pole (pictured above) lies a swirling vortex of cloud, and yesterday (November 27, 2012) the Cassini space-probe took a series of 'close-up' photos (that is, from just 361,000 kilometers away). I threw together a quick (non-real time) animation from Cassini's raw images archive - click on it if you want to see the bigger version (6MB):

'Looking down' upon the turbulent surface via these images, I couldn't help but be reminded of more than a few planetary descents in science fiction novels and movies, most notably the Prometheus capsule in Stanislav Lem's Solaris, the 'express elevator to hell' from Aliens, and definitely Operation Deep Sounding in Paul McAuley's The Quiet War. Imagine navigating your ship into the jaws of that maelstrom...

(via @elakdawalla / The Planetary Society)

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So much of the visible

#1

Member since:
18 September 2007

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Posted by emlong on 28 Nov 2012 at about 15:13.

So much of the visible universe is a screeching howling storm. How rare and precious is this agreeable little rock upon which we perch. Everything is alive though, so even the hellish maelstroms are vessels for some sort of consciousness, but man can we ever look at that thrashing stuff out there and not feel afraid of it?

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storm

#2

Member since:
30 May 2009

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Posted by tuxekan on 28 Nov 2012 at about 15:50.

I've seen the pictures many times before, but maybe it is too early and my brain hasn't woken up, but when i look at the pictures of the storm right now I feel a deep existential terror!