Summer on Earth is a little different than summer on Saturn.
The Hubble Space Telescope captured a remarkably clear image of the ringed planet on July 4, when the planet was 839 million miles from Earth, according to a NASA statement.
The image shows the rings in exceptional detail, while highlighting “a series of small atmospheric storms” that come and go with each annual observation of the planet through the telescope.
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured this image of Saturn on July 4, 2020. This image is taken as part of the Legacy of Outer Planet Atmospheres (OPAL) project. OPAL is helping scientists understand the atmospheric dynamics and evolution of gas giant planets in our solar system. In the case of Saturn, astronomers continue to track changing weather patterns and storms. (Credits: NASA, ESA, A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center), MH Wong (University of California, Berkeley) and the OPAL team)
SATURNO’S MYSTERIOUS MOON COULD SUPPORT FOREIGN LIFE THANKS TO THIS NEW DISCOVERY
“The bands in the northern hemisphere continue to be pronounced as seen in Hubble’s observations in 2019, with several bands changing slightly in color from year to year,” NASA said in the statement. “The atmosphere of the ringed planet is primarily hydrogen and helium with traces of ammonia, methane, water vapor, and hydrocarbons giving it a yellowish-brown color.”
The reddish haze seen in the northern hemisphere could be due to increased heat from sunlight, changing atmospheric circulation, or the removal of ice from aerosols, NASA suggested. Another idea is that the increase in sunlight during the summer months is changing the amounts of photochemical turbidity produced.
“It is surprising that even in a few years, we are seeing seasonal changes on Saturn,” lead researcher Amy Simon of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center added in the statement.
Although the age of Saturn’s rings is debated, their icy composition can also be seen in remarkable detail in the image. Many scientists believe that the rings are almost as old as the planet itself, while others believe that they are only a few hundred million years old, given their brilliance.
“However, measurements from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft of small grains raining down into Saturn’s atmosphere suggest that the rings can only last 300 million years longer, which is one of the arguments for an early age of the rings, “said Michael Wong in the statement.
Two of Saturn’s moons are also visible in the image, Mimas (right) and Enceladus (bottom). NASA previously said that Enceladus could support life, making it one of the most intriguing places in the solar system.
AGE OF SATURN RINGS DEBATE AS QUESTIONS ABOUT EMERGING LIFE
Hubble, which launched into low Earth orbit in April 1990, celebrated its 30th anniversary in space earlier this year. Its eventual successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, described by NASA as the most powerful and complex space telescope ever built, is slated to launch on March 30, 2021.
However, work on the telescope was stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
