The south pole of Enceladus—a tiny moon orbiting Saturn—is a volatile place. In this region, the moon’s subsurface ocean spews jets of water through four “tiger stripe” cracks in the icy crust, culminating in a single plume of ice particles that stretches hundreds of miles into space. The Cassini spacecraft spent two decades studying these […]
Astronomers Spot ‘Unexpected’ Bead and Star Patterns in Saturn’s Atmosphere
Saturn already tops the list of the coolest-looking objects in our solar system, but a new finding might put it on another level. Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers spotted strange, beady patterns spreading across the planet’s atmosphere—features never seen before on any other planet in the solar system. In a recent Geophysical […]
Scientists Track Methane Clouds Wafting Over Titan’s Lakes for the First Time
Saturn’s most metal moon just got more intriguing. On Titan, clouds of methane unleash a cold, oily rain—very different from the water-based downpours we see on Earth. For the first time, scientists have collected evidence of cloud convection in Titan’s northern hemisphere, observing the moon’s methane clouds shifting over time above its eerie lakes. By […]
Saturn’s Famous Rings Will Disappear From View This Weekend
Saturn will temporarily lose its iconic look from our viewpoint on Earth, appearing as a pale, yellow sphere without its swirling rings shrouding the gas giant. The billions of rocky and icy chunks swirling around Saturn will disappear from our viewpoint on Sunday, March 23 as the thin edges of the planet’s rings are aimed […]
Saturn Secures Its Title as the ‘Moon King’ With Major Haul of New Moons
Saturn just solidified its title as ‘moon king’ with an updated tally of 274 satellites orbiting the gas giant. The record-breaking statistic puts Saturn way ahead of its moon-bearing competitors, as now the ringed planet is officially orbited by almost twice as many moons as all other planets in the solar system combined. An international […]
How to Watch the Rare Planet Parade Twinkle Across the Night Sky
Stargazers are in for a treat as six planets will appear to align together in the night skies, decorating our views of the cosmos for the rest of January and into February. Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune will all be visible side by side, forming a line across the sky, while Mercury will […]