Saturn’s frigid north pole has a hot spot
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Saturn’s chilly north pole boasts a hot spot of compressed air, a surprising discovery that could shed light on other planets within our own solar system and beyond, researchers reported Friday in the journal Science.
Scientists already knew about a hot spot at Saturn’s sunny south pole, but data from the Cassini spacecraft show that the winter pole, drenched in darkness, also has a hot spot. The northern spot cannot be observed from Earth because of Saturn’s tilt.
Researchers said the southern hot spot was probably formed by the warm rays of the sun, but added that compressed air descending from the atmosphere best explained the newly found hot spot on the north pole.
