Big storm on Saturn |
Big storm on Saturn |
Dec 27 2010, 07:14 PM
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#16
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8785 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Spectacular!!!
I wonder if that thing is lighting up Saturn's magnetosphere as well...looks like it'd be a major lightning generator. -------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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Dec 27 2010, 07:20 PM
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#17
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Member Group: Members Posts: 555 Joined: 27-September 10 Member No.: 5458 |
Here's my take on the storm. Looks pretty massive. Used MT2, GRN, BL1 filters for color and the CB2 filter for luminance to maintain definition.
Edit: Whoops, I posted the wrong file. Fixed it with the version that doesn't look so crummy in the darks. I'll work on a better version in a bit. -------------------- |
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Dec 27 2010, 08:04 PM
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#18
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 74 Joined: 9-October 10 From: Victoria, BC Member No.: 5483 |
It's interesting to see how "untidy" it is compared to say the GRS on Jupiter. Very nice pictures though.
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Dec 28 2010, 12:13 AM
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#19
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1229 Joined: 24-December 05 From: The blue one in between the yellow and red ones. Member No.: 618 |
Yeah, that was one 'badass' big pigeon!
Next year I'll buy it a present. -------------------- My Grandpa goes to Mars every day and all I get are these lousy T-shirts!
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Dec 28 2010, 01:09 AM
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#20
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IMG to PNG GOD Group: Moderator Posts: 2254 Joined: 19-February 04 From: Near fire and ice Member No.: 38 |
It's interesting to check earlier Cassini images to see if there are any images showing how this new feature formed. I imagine it might have started as a small, bright spot.
Unfortunately there do not seem to be many images of Saturns this month but I found these images from December 5: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/raw/rawi...?imageID=230356 http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/raw/rawi...?imageID=230355 A small, bright spot appears in both of the images so it is real. It's located at approximately the 'correct' latitude but I don't know if this is the same feature - this could be determined if I knew the subspacecraft longitude. I'm aware it's very difficult to change observations that were planned months in advance but this is a *really* interesting event. Hopefully there are enough Saturn observations planned for the next rev. I remember some quick changes to Galileo's observations in response to unexpected events, e.g. the loss of the E16 Europa imaging (some of the originally planned E16 observations were incorparated into the E17 observations) but I imagine the Cassini obervation sequences must be far more complex than Galileo's. |
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Dec 28 2010, 01:33 AM
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#21
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 3242 Joined: 11-February 04 From: Tucson, AZ Member No.: 23 |
Yes, that's the same storm, right about the time the RPWS first detected lightning from it.
There are many more Saturn observations during the next orbit, but I have no idea yet on whether they will show the storm, if it is still around. -------------------- &@^^!% Jim! I'm a geologist, not a physicist!
The Gish Bar Times - A Blog all about Jupiter's Moon Io |
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Dec 28 2010, 05:33 AM
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#22
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Member Group: Members Posts: 555 Joined: 27-September 10 Member No.: 5458 |
Heres a bit clearer version of the storm. False color with stacked images and some noise suppression. Filters, MT2, GRN, BL1, CB2(lum) again.
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Dec 28 2010, 07:15 AM
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#23
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Member Group: Members Posts: 316 Joined: 1-October 06 Member No.: 1206 |
Wow
So are we seeing high cold[er] cloud tops punching though the normal aerosol/haze layer here? P |
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Dec 28 2010, 07:24 AM
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#24
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8785 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
So it would seem.
Question to anyone knowledgeable: Is the storm drifting within the larger atmosphere like the GRS, or is it fixed in longitude? Reason I ask is that it looks very much like a plume of sorts in this image, with the prevailing winds peeling off material from the top of the emission. Would be interesting indeed if this is a manifestation of some sort of surface disturbance (whatever the word "surface" might mean on Saturn, if anything...) -------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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Dec 28 2010, 12:13 PM
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#25
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1452 Joined: 26-July 08 Member No.: 4270 |
Anyone noticed the moon shadow? Not nearly as impressive as the storm but still moderately noteworthy.
-------------------- -- Hungry4info (Sirius_Alpha)
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Dec 28 2010, 08:15 PM
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#26
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 3242 Joined: 11-February 04 From: Tucson, AZ Member No.: 23 |
Yep, that's Dione's shadow.
-------------------- &@^^!% Jim! I'm a geologist, not a physicist!
The Gish Bar Times - A Blog all about Jupiter's Moon Io |
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Dec 28 2010, 08:16 PM
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#27
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 3242 Joined: 11-February 04 From: Tucson, AZ Member No.: 23 |
Question to anyone knowledgeable: Is the storm drifting within the larger atmosphere like the GRS, or is it fixed in longitude? Reason I ask is that it looks very much like a plume of sorts in this image, with the prevailing winds peeling off material from the top of the emission. From what I've read, it is drifting about 2-2.5 degrees to the west (the head of the storm I mean) each day. So the System III longitude increases by that amount each day. -------------------- &@^^!% Jim! I'm a geologist, not a physicist!
The Gish Bar Times - A Blog all about Jupiter's Moon Io |
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Dec 29 2010, 04:18 PM
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#28
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 2785 Joined: 10-November 06 From: Pasadena, CA Member No.: 1345 |
Ground based image (Celestron C14 I assume): http://www.flickr.com/photos/31167687@N02/5299087913/
-------------------- Some higher resolution images available at my photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/
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Dec 29 2010, 07:57 PM
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#29
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8785 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Thanks, VP, and wow, Mike! The sheer scale of that thing is just jaw-dropping in this view!
-------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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Dec 29 2010, 11:16 PM
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#30
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Member Group: Members Posts: 316 Joined: 1-October 06 Member No.: 1206 |
Holy Moly! One of the images/events of the year - and right at the 11th hour too.
Ground based obs are going to produce some spectacular movies as they track the evolution of this baby... P |
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