Tag Archives: saturn

Saturn’s Hexagon

Posted on April 13, 2021 by thestarstudent

Scientists at Harvard are trying to learn more about Saturn’s hexagonal storm on its north pole. While storms on Earth tend to be round or spiral in shape, this feature on Saturn is distinctly a hexagon, and we don’t fully know why! As of now, Harvard has created computer simulations that have indicated how polygonalContinue reading “Saturn’s Hexagon” Continue reading →

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The Cassini Spacecraft and Huygens Probe

Posted on April 13, 2021 by thestarstudent

NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft, launched in 1997, flew by Venus and Earth’s Moon, through the Asteroid belt, and near Jupiter until it settled in the Saturn Planetary System for thirteen years. This was a historical mission for multiple reasons. Not only was it the first to orbit Saturn, but the Huygens Probe it carried was theContinue reading “The Cassini Spacecraft and Huygens Probe” Continue reading →

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Cassini-Huygens Mission

Posted on April 12, 2021 by ben141414

Cassini-Huygens was a solar system mission that explored Saturn and its surroundings, such as its rings, satellites, and moons. The spacecraft was launched from Earth on October 15, 1997. On the way to Saturn, the spacecraft flew by Venus, Earth, the asteroid belt, and Jupiter. Cassini was active for 20 years and spent 13 yearsContinue reading “Cassini-Huygens Mission” Continue reading →

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The Death Star

Posted on April 10, 2021 by brianknapp

Saturn is the mooniest planet in our Solar System, with us having discovered over 80 of them. While many moons have interesting features, only one of them look like they could destroy Alderaan. Say hello to the moon Mimas, which as you may notice, looks a bit familiar. That’s right, Mimas look like the DeathContinue reading “The Death Star” Continue reading →

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The Death of Cassini

Posted on April 9, 2021 by brianknapp

The Cassini Spacecraft was designed to explore Saturn and its many rings and moons. It launched from Earth in 1997, beginning its 7-year journey to the outer solar system. Upon arrival, it released the Huygens Probe – the first object of our own creation to land in the outer solar system. This probe landed onContinue reading “The Death of Cassini” Continue reading →

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Enceladus got life?

Posted on April 5, 2021 by yvan247

Thanks NASA’s Cassini mission, scientists have been able to confirm that underneath the icy crust of one of Saturn’s moons, Enceladus, lies a global ocean. Naturally, that begs the question could there possibly be something living in that ocean. When looking for life in our solar system, the first thing we look for is water […] Continue reading →

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Becoming One with Saturn

Posted on April 5, 2021 by yvan247

On September 17, 2017, NASA’s Cassini’s spacecraft exhausted its fuel supply. This marked the end of a 20 yearlong space exploration and 13 yearlong orbit around The planet Saturn. The Cassini Mission was monumental in more ways than one. It was the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn, first to land in the outer solar system, […] Continue reading →

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Scenes from Hubble: Saturn’s Seasons

Posted on March 22, 2021 by allyworthington

Images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope show changing seasons on the gas giant, Saturn. Saturn has a slower orbit than Earth (29 years to orbit the sun!), which makes each “season” on the planet over 7 years long. Similar to Earth, Saturn is tilted on an axis, which affects the intensity of sunlight on sides … Continue reading Scenes from Hubble: Saturn’s Seasons → Continue reading →

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Saturn on Steroids

Posted on March 29, 2020 by alexsolarsystem

Way out in the constellation Centaurus is a peculiar solar system 434 light years away that fascinates astronomers. The central star, named 1SWASP, is similar to our Sun in size and doesn’t appear to have any unusual characteristics for a main-sequence star. However, it was discovered in 2007 that 1SWASP is orbited by one enormousContinue reading “Saturn on Steroids” Continue reading →

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Metallic Hydrogen: The Holy Grail of High Pressure Physics

Posted on April 7, 2019 by jpeilbert

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, but at most reasonable temperatures and pressures it presents itself as an (infamously) flammable, colorless gas. In the high-pressure environments of the interior of Jupiter and Saturn, however, hydrogen takes on a rare and mysterious form: metallic hydrogen. You’re probably familiar with the three traditional states … Continue reading Metallic Hydrogen: The Holy Grail of High Pressure Physics → Continue reading →

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