The Cassini spacecraft, which has been orbiting Saturn since 2004, has discovered a vortex at the south pole of Saturn’s largest moon Titan, NASA announced today (July 10, 2012). This movie shows this mass of swirling gas around Titan’s south pole. The swirling mass appears to execute one full rotation in about nine hours – much faster than the moon’s 16-day rotation period. Cassini acquired these images before and after a distant flyby of Titan on June 27, 2012.
The south pole of Titan (3,200 miles, or 5,150 kilometers, across) is near the center of the view.
Now here’s the true color image. Wow.
True color image from Cassini of Titan’s south polar vortex. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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