Tuesday, December 28, 2010

THE GREAT WHITE SPOT IS BACK














As Europe and North America are beset by unusually extreme weather, word comes that meteorological anomalies are not wholly confined to the planet Earth. Saturn (above) is currently experiencing the reemergence of the Great White Spot, a massive storm system in the planet's southern hemisphere several thousand kilometers across. The Great White Spot is Saturn’s the lesser known equivalent of Jupiter's Great Red Spot. A periodic storm that flares up about every 28.5 years. It previously appeared in 1876, 1903, 1933, 1960, and 1990. As such, we shouldn't be expecting another appearance until around 2018, although huge, Spot-like storms do occasionally show up at times that don't fit the cycle, including 1994 and 2006. Click here for the story

Click here for The Doors (at risk of being repetitious)

The secret word is Interplanetary

1 comment:

Maggie M'Gill said...

The Doors links are always welcome, Mick! At the risk of telling you stuff you already know, were you aware that it was the actor Will Hay ('Oh Mr Porter' etc) who originally discovered Saturn's white spot? 'Tis so. Thanks for the interesting item on its reappearance.