Hot Cyclones Churn at Both Ends of Saturn

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This image shows newly discovered hot spot on Saturns north pole and the mysterious hexagon that encircles the pole. Image credit: NASAJPLGSFCOxford University
This image shows newly discovered "hot spot" on Saturn's north pole and the mysterious hexagon that encircles the pole. Image credit: NASA/JPL/GSFC/Oxford University

Despite more than a decade of winter darkness, Saturn's north pole is home to an unexpected hot spot remarkably similar to one at the planet's sunny south pole. The source of its heat is a mystery. Now, the first detailed views of the gas giant's high latitudes from the Cassini spacecraft reveal a matched set of hot cyclonic vortices, one at each pole.


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