Saturn changed colors, and Hubble watched – BGR

Apart from Earth, Saturn is probably the most recognizable of the planets in our solar system. It’s the only planet with fat, easily visible rings – other planets, like Uranus, also have rings, but they’re not nearly as opaque – and you’ll never miss it in another world in our small starburst. However, that does not mean that it never changes, and NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has recently noticed many interesting color shifts on the planet.

In a new report on NASA’s website, the space agency highlights an article published in Planetary Science Journal where scientists reveal the subtle color changes on Saturn. The planet’s rings do not change much from season to season, but the colors of the planet itself certainly change. A single year on Saturn is equivalent to 29 Earths, so we see that seasonal changes are happening very slowly, but it is clear that something is happening under the clouds.

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In fact, in 2018, 2019 and 2020, the bands of the planet have changed in remarkable ways. The scientists provided a nicely animated picture to make the color changes clearer. Take a look for yourself:

This may not be immediately noticeable, but focus on the center-to-top of the planet globe and watch the rings change. New rings form, some areas that were brighter become darker and the darker area at the North Pole of the planet spreads significantly. These are pretty big changes, especially in the course of just three years, and it points to some interesting things happening within the atmosphere of the planet and possibly below as well.

‘These small year-on-year changes in Saturn’s color bands are fascinating. As Saturn moves toward the fall in the northern hemisphere, we see the polar and equatorial regions change, but we also see that the atmosphere changes on much shorter time scales, ”said Amy Simon, lead author of the research, in a statement. “What we found was a slight change from year to year in color, possibly cloud height and winds. It is not surprising that the changes are not large, because we are only looking at a small fraction of a Saturn year. We expect big changes on a seasonal time scale, so it shows the progress towards the next season. ”

What is perhaps most interesting to see such changes in the visible upper layer of Saturn is what it can mean for the changes that take place deeper within the planet. No one really knows what lies within gas giant planets like Saturn and Jupiter, and it is possible that some or all of these planets have solid inner nuclei, surrounded by liquids and gases. We do not yet have the technology to peek deep through the thick clouds, but one day, these observations can provide us with the clues that reveal where the colors come from and that cause the changes to flare up.

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