hexagon

Photo of the hexagonal "atmospheric" structure on Saturn revealed in the Cassini flybys. The hexagon was observed by the Voyagers, just not this clearly, so it's been around at least 20 years. The word atmospheric is in scare quotes because, sisters and brothers, we all know this is an artifact and will quickly rival the Face on Mars as a subject of speculation. The first planetary minimal art piece--a "Saturnwork," if you will. Or perhaps...

- tom moody 4-02-2007 1:26 am

This is why Pythagoras didn't want us to eat beans...


- j in jc (guest) 4-02-2007 7:26 pm


Ah, so you think it's atmospheric. The cover up begins...
It is clearly some kind of force field.
- tom moody 4-02-2007 7:49 pm


Yes, a "lower atmosphere," if you catch my drift.

Either that, or it's a monolith buildup.

Either way, I propose some sort of inter-planetary colonics.
- j in jc (guest) 4-02-2007 9:49 pm


I caught your "drift."
You can joke about it now, but when that force field lifts...
- tom moody 4-02-2007 9:58 pm


to drain the fun out of this discussion:

have you run into any theories on how an atmospheric condition could find itself geometric?

unless some sort of mass-replicated chemical reaction has taken place, perhaps binding itself into an enormous tessellation/honeycomb.

just seems mighty counterintuitive to Earthian weather stuff.

or, maybe Saturn is waiting for The Wrenchure.


- j in jc (guest) 4-04-2007 11:02 pm


I'm not aware of any crystalline structure with straight lines like this on the macro level.
I've only read one article and the explanations seemed pretty feeble and unconvincing.
Aside from an alien force field a reasonable explanation might be some flaw in the imaging but the hex seems consistent from shot to shot.
- tom moody 4-04-2007 11:53 pm


www.danheller.com/images/Europe/Ireland/CausewayCoast/giants-causeway-bw-big.jpg

Giant's Causeway in Ireland

www.northantrim.com/Causewayguide.htm
- j in jc (guest) 4-05-2007 1:38 am


damn my image tags to Saturn!
- j in jc (guest) 4-05-2007 1:39 am


correction: "crystalline atmospheric structure with straight lines like this on the macro level"
or
"crystalline non-lithic structure"
- tom moody 4-05-2007 1:52 am


I don't have a clue, but my studies of the properties of gases kinda peaked with acoustics. But this kind of weird stuff is why I dig planetary science.
- mark 4-05-2007 8:40 am


The wikipedia cult claims that if you spin water in a certain way it sometimes comes up hexagon.


- j in jc (guest) 4-05-2007 6:19 pm


From j in jc: hexagons in a bucket. I believe this means there is a large whirling fan blade under the clouds on Saturn.

- tom moody 4-21-2007 1:45 am