Saturn’s Double Light Show In January and March 2009, astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope took advantage of a rare opportunity to record Saturn when its rings were edge-on, resulting in a unique movie featuring the nearly symmetrical light show at both of the giant planet’s poles. It takes Saturn almost thirty years to orbit the Sun, with the opportunity to image both of its poles occurring only twice during that time. The light shows, called aurorae, are produced when electrically charged particles race along the planet’s magnetic field and into the upper atmosphere where they excite atmospheric gases, causing them to glow. Saturn’s aurorae resemble the same phenomena that take place at the Earth’s poles.

Saturn’s Double Light Show

In January and March 2009, astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope took advantage of a rare opportunity to record Saturn when its rings were edge-on, resulting in a unique movie featuring the nearly symmetrical light show at both of the giant planet’s poles. It takes Saturn almost thirty years to orbit the Sun, with the opportunity to image both of its poles occurring only twice during that time. The light shows, called aurorae, are produced when electrically charged particles race along the planet’s magnetic field and into the upper atmosphere where they excite atmospheric gases, causing them to glow. Saturn’s aurorae resemble the same phenomena that take place at the Earth’s poles.

(via cosmicate)

Posted 11 months ago with 3,054 notes
View Notes
  1. iamsiriammaster reblogged this from meltdownnn
  2. typicallover reblogged this from buddha-has-a-boner
  3. flowerofduality reblogged this from buddha-has-a-boner
  4. serpent-like-temptations reblogged this from doolittle215
  5. doolittle215 reblogged this from starlingsinthelamestream
  6. starlingsinthelamestream reblogged this from medicated-insomniac
  7. medicated-insomniac reblogged this from fearandloathingincincy
  8. fearandloathingincincy reblogged this from crystal-m3th-od
  9. livinginafuckingdream reblogged this from buddha-has-a-boner
  10. crystal-m3th-od reblogged this from buddha-has-a-boner
  11. we-must-always-go-on reblogged this from buddha-has-a-boner
  12. panama891 reblogged this from themadshoe
  13. themadshoe reblogged this from buddha-has-a-boner
  14. buddha-has-a-boner reblogged this from hippie-from-helll
  15. hippie-from-helll reblogged this from hyperdimensionalkittens
  16. timecluster reblogged this from schlossgeist
  17. schlossgeist reblogged this from curly-geek
  18. s--erenitatis reblogged this from habitual-ritual
  19. sssagefox reblogged this from background-radiation
  20. background-radiation reblogged this from habitual-ritual
  21. habitual-ritual reblogged this from aeuum
  22. omenta reblogged this from pink-buzz
  23. pink-buzz reblogged this from aeuum
  24. curly-geek reblogged this from aeuum
  25. virulentexistence reblogged this from aeuum
  26. minemice reblogged this from aeuum
  27. aeuum reblogged this from jenosaido
  28. onthemarch reblogged this from beatrixx-kiddo
  29. beatrixx-kiddo reblogged this from chumky
  30. masiclan reblogged this from jiggyjiggyvalidlikesalad
  31. indisputable-love reblogged this from jiggyjiggyvalidlikesalad
  32. darkdelusi0ns reblogged this from jiggyjiggyvalidlikesalad
  33. inlovewithunreality reblogged this from jiggyjiggyvalidlikesalad
  34. jiggyjiggyvalidlikesalad reblogged this from enter-galactic-love