Saturn's hexagon is a persistent approximately hexagonal cloud pattern around the north pole of the planet Saturn, located at about 78°N. [1][2][3] The sides of the hexagon are about 14,500 km (9,000 mi) long, [4][5][6][7] which is about 2,000 km (1,200 mi) …

Nov 5, 2024 · Overview: Saturn’s Hexagon. One of the most curious and captivating features on Saturn – an enormous spinning hexagon in the clouds at its north pole – has fascinated scientists and the public alike since our first glimpse of it in the 1980s.

Sep 22, 2015 · Scientists have bandied about a number of explanations for the hexagon's origin. For instance, water swirling inside a bucket can generate whirlpools possessing holes with geometric shapes....

This colorful view from NASA's Cassini mission is the highest-resolution view of the unique six-sided jet stream at Saturn's north pole known as "the hexagon."

Jun 8, 2020 · Simulating what happens to deep turbulent convections in a rotating spherical shell, researchers at Harvard University now think they have a plausible explanation for why Saturn's hexagon exists.

Dec 12, 2012 · This colorful view from NASA's Cassini mission is the highest-resolution view of the unique six-sided jet stream at Saturn's north pole known as "the hexagon."

Sep 5, 2018 · A new long-term study using data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has revealed a surprising feature emerging at Saturn’s northern pole as it nears summertime: a warming, high-altitude vortex with a hexagonal shape, akin to the famous hexagon seen …

Apr 8, 2010 · Though not as famous as Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, Saturn's Hexagon is equally mysterious. Now researchers have recreated this formation in the lab using little more than water and a spinning table—an important first step, experts say, …

Apr 14, 2014 · However, the seasonal variations do not affect the hexagon and its jet stream at all, so both are part of an extensive wave, deeply rooted in Saturn’s atmosphere. The UPV/EHU researchers suggest that the hexagon and its stream are the manifestation of a “Rossby wave” similar to those that form in the mid-latitudes of the earth.

Sep 5, 2018 · Above Saturn’s north pole, clouds swirl in a distinct and stunning hexagonal shape. Discovered by NASA’s Voyager mission in 1981, Saturn’s hexagon is striking to behold, and one new study...