Saturn’s north pole is changing colors.Based on images sent back to Earth from Cassini, NASA s
Saturn’s north pole is changing colors.Based on images sent back to Earth from Cassini, NASA scientists have been observing Saturn’s shifting hues from blue-black in 2012 to golden yellow in 2016. A similar change happened between 1995 and 2009, when NASA noticed that the hexagonal pole was gradually becoming darker and darker. Scientists theorized that phenomenon was due to Saturn’s tilt, which was decreasing the amount of sunlight received by the poles, and thus decreasing the amount of photochemical reactions occurring in the atmosphere. But now that the poles are slowly tipping back towards the sun, increasing amounts of light are reaching them once again. NASA released this statement on November 11th: “The color change is thought to be an effect of Saturn’s seasons. In particular, the change from a bluish color to a more golden hue may be due to the increased production of photochemical hazes in the atmosphere as the north pole approaches summer solstice in May 2017.” (Source) -- source link
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