Bring Me Up: The Environment

Friday, February 22, 2008

According to new data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft...

"Cassini has mapped about 20 percent of Titan's surface with radar. Several hundred lakes and seas have been observed, with each of several dozen estimated to contain more hydrocarbon liquid than Earth's oil and gas reserves. The dark dunes that run along the equator contain a volume of organics several hundred times larger than Earth's coal reserves."

The dark dunes that run along the equator contain a volume of organics several hundred times larger than Earth's coal reserves.

SOURCE

Labels: carbon emissions, saturn

posted by Christy @ 11:20 AM 0 comments

Monday, January 14, 2008

The mystery of Saturn has deepened

Space news is going crazy lately. Recently, scientists found that Jupiter has rings circling it just as Saturn does. The photos are fantastic, Brian showed me some and it really is awe inspiring.

Now there is news of two hot cyclones at both poles of Saturn. We already knew the southern pole of Saturn had a hot spot, but it had always been thought that the northern pole was frigid and dark. Not so. Even though the northern pole of Saturn has been going through a "winter of sorts" since 1995, there is proof now of a hot spot residing there. This means the heat is not related to location or reach of sunlight as once determined.

The force, the cause, the reason...no one knows. Back in the 80s, NASA's Voyager 1 and 2, picked up a polar hexagon. This hexagonal feature has maintained stability all this time and as such, has remained an enigma. Early last year, Cassini's infrared cameras picked up hexagonal clouds in Saturn's atmosphere. The atmospheric pressure of Saturn is three times the pressure of Earth.

SOURCE

Labels: saturn, space

posted by Christy @ 9:54 AM 1 comments

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