Saturn’s North Pole Hexagon

Fig. 1 Hexagon clouds at Saturn’s north pole

A new article in Nature Communications Sept.3, 2018 reports that the famous hexagon cloud extends 300 km above the surrounding cloud-tops. The hexagon resembles one seen lower in the atmosphere by Cassini. Former Cassini scientists state: “The edges of this newly-found vortex appear to be hexagonal, precisely matching a famous and bizarre hexagonal cloud pattern we see deeper down in Saturn’s atmosphere. … … understanding how and why Saturn’s north polar vortex has assumed a hexagonal shape will shed light on how phenomena deeper down in an atmosphere can influence the environment high up above, something that is of particular interest to scientists trying to figure out how energy is transported around in planetary atmospheres.”

However, referring to an earlier post on Jupiter’s cyclones, hexagons on Saturn do not seem that unique. The northern edges of Jupiter’s cyclones define polygons with different numbers of sides surrounding both the north and south poles. As explained in numerous previous posts, both Jupiter and Saturn are solid, low density, highly deuterated methane gas hydrate (MGH) planets, which means that impacts on their surfaces cause fusion explosions which can continue to burn for a long time – on Jupiter the one producing all of its features has been burning for 6,000 years. That same fusion reaction on Jupiter blazed material into space for the first 5,000+ years which formed all the near-Earth asteroids we see today. Unfortunately for Saturn, it has been the prime target for hundreds of such bodies, which still impact it to this day.

The ongoing bombardment of these bodies impacting Saturn has blasted enormous amounts of water into its rings and atmosphere. Although the solid portion of both are the same composition, their average densities, using the cloud-top radii are Jupiter 1,330. and Saturn 687 kg/m^3. This difference is due to the expanded atmosphere of Saturn which is still being ‘fed’ by ongoing impact fusion furnaces burning its excess deuterium. Similar cyclones imaged in Jupiter’s polar regions are circulating deep in Saturn’s atmosphere, but they increase in diameter as they rise into the much larger diameter atmosphere. The most northern edges form the edges of the famous hexagon at Saturn’s north pole and their higher velocities result in its slight elevation, which is only a tiny fraction of their altitude above the surface. The following quote can be applied to the Jupiter/Saturn couple.

Couples are things whole and not whole, what is drawn together and what is drawn asunder, the harmonious and discordant. The one is made up of all things, and all things issue from the one. Heraclitus Fr. 10