Cassini Shows Bizarre Hexagon On Saturn

Geometric Wonder Appears To Be Permanent

By Jerry Garner

The Cassini space probe has beamed back some unusual images from the planet Saturn. The planet’s North Pole is covered by an enormous hexagon four times the size of Earth. Saturn’s South Pole contains a giant hurricane in the shape of a human eye.

The odd hexagon shape was first photographed on Saturn 26 years ago by the Voyager One space probe, and again later by the Voyager Two. Because the hexagon shaped storm has been seen so many years apart, it is a long lasting storm at the very least, but some scientist have began speculating that the hexagon may actually be a permanent feature on Saturn.

Kevin Baines, an atmospheric expert and member of Cassini's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California marveled at the hexagon shape. Baines pointed out that strange planetary feature was laid out in a precise geometric fashion, with six sides that were straight and nearly equal in length.

"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." Baines said in a public press conference.

The size of Saturn’s hexagon is enormous. The hexagon is nearly 15,000 miles (25,000 kilometers) across at it’s widest point. It is so large, in fact, that the planet Earth could fit inside it almost four times. A thermal imaging study of the hexagon estimates that it extends some 60 miles (100 kilometers) down into Saturn’s cloud cover.

The Cassini space probe also showcased another geometric oddity on Saturn’s South Pole. While the North is dominated by an enormous hexagon, Saturn’s South Pole is covered by a giant hurricane. What makes this storm system so unique is that rather than being circular like hurricanes on Earth, this one is oblong and shaped like a human eye.

"It's amazing to see such striking differences on opposite ends of Saturn's poles," said Bob Brown, team leader of the Cassini visual and infrared mapping spectrometer at the University of Arizona.

When comparing images of Saturn’s hexagon that were taken by the voyager space probes to those taken by Cassini, scientists have speculated that the hexagon seems to be fixed and in sync with the planet’s rotation. Scientists have never known how long a day on Saturn is because it is difficult to measure Saturn’s rotation. Analyzing the spinning motion of the hexagon could finally crack the code and reveal how long a day on Saturn is in comparison to an Earth day.

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