Asset Publisher

Dynamics of Saturn's South Polar Vortex

Dynamics of Saturn's South Polar Vortex

Publication date: 28 March 2008

Authors: Dyudina, U.A. et al.

Journal: Science
Volume: 319
Issue: 5871
Page: 1801
Year: 2008

Copyright: AAAS

The camera onboard the Cassini spacecraft has allowed us to observe many of Saturn's cloud features. We present observations of Saturn's south polar vortex (SPV) showing that it shares some properties with terrestrial hurricanes: cyclonic circulation, warm central region (the eye) surrounded by a ring of high clouds (the eye wall), and convective clouds outside the eye. The polar location and the absence of an ocean are major differences. It also shares properties with the polar vortices on Venus, such as polar location, cyclonic circulation, warm center, and long lifetime, but the Venus vortices have cold collars and are not associated with convective clouds. The SPV's combination of properties is unique among vortices in the solar system

Link to publication
Last Update: Sep 1, 2019 9:08:39 AM
29-Mar-2024 07:21 UT

ShortUrl Portlet

Shortcut URL

https://sci.esa.int/s/8dKa34W

Images And Videos

Related Publications

Related Links

See Also

Documentation