All the planets in the solar system orbit in the same direction that the sun rotates—counterclockwise, to an observer over Earth's northern hemisphere....[More]
RETRO ACTIVE:
All the planets in the solar system orbit in the same direction that the sun rotates—counterclockwise, to an observer over Earth's northern hemisphere. Likewise, all the large moons in the solar system follow prograde orbits around their respective host planets, hewing to the direction of planetary rotation, with one exception: Triton. Neptune's largest moon has a retrograde orbit: it travels in a direction opposite to the giant planet's spin. Some researchers have proposed that Triton may not have formed at Neptune but may instead be a remnant of a binary system of dwarf planets that was captured by Neptune's gravity, flinging Triton's former binary partner away in the process. The photograph above, of Neptune and Triton, came from the Voyager 2 probe, which passed the Neptunian system in 1989.
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NASA
DEVILISHLY POWERFUL:
Martian dust devils earn the title of "the most extreme vacuum cleaners in the solar system" in David Baker and Todd Ratcliff's new book, The 50 Most Extreme Places in Our Solar System ....[More]
DEVILISHLY POWERFUL:
Martian dust devils earn the title of "the most extreme vacuum cleaners in the solar system" in David Baker and Todd Ratcliff's new book, The 50 Most Extreme Places in Our Solar System. Thanks to low pressure and surface gravity on Mars, the dusty vortices tower over terrestrial dust devils and tornadoes—they can reach the height of Mount Everest with winds in excess of 300 kilometers per hour, according to Baker and Ratcliff.
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NASA/JPL
SHRINKY DINK:
Mercury, the innermost planet, is covered by geologic landforms known as thrust scarps, a sort of stair-step feature that is produced by compression....[More]
SHRINKY DINK:
Mercury, the innermost planet, is covered by geologic landforms known as thrust scarps, a sort of stair-step feature that is produced by compression. A curving scarp is visible in the center of the photograph above. Their global distribution on Mercury implies that the entire planet has been shrinking, perhaps by as much as six kilometers in diameter over its lifetime, as its core has cooled—and the process may be ongoing. Recent observations have suggested that Earth's moon may have shrunk through a similar mechanism a relatively short time ago, only on a much smaller scale.
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NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
SPIN OFF:
Hyperion, one of Saturn's many moons, is an odd-shaped, pockmarked object with a density so low—about half that of water—that it must be incredibly porous, essentially a 400-kilometer-long sponge....[More]
SPIN OFF:
Hyperion, one of Saturn's many moons, is an odd-shaped, pockmarked object with a density so low—about half that of water—that it must be incredibly porous, essentially a 400-kilometer-long sponge. And unlike most large objects in the solar system with a well-defined rotational period, such as Earth's 24 hours, Hyperion's rotation is chaotic. If anyone lived on the tumbling, football-shaped moon, planning out one's week would be a challenge—the length of each Hyperion day varies erratically.
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NASA
WHAT'S THAT SMELL?:
Io earns the designation "stinkiest place in the solar system" in Baker and Ratcliff's book. Jupiter's third-largest moon would smell to us of rotten eggs, thanks to its active—and highly sulfurous—volcanoes....[More]
WHAT'S THAT SMELL?:
Io earns the designation "stinkiest place in the solar system" in Baker and Ratcliff's book. Jupiter's third-largest moon would smell to us of rotten eggs, thanks to its active—and highly sulfurous—volcanoes. As a result, the moon's icy surface and its atmosphere are rich in pungent sulfur dioxide as well as hydrogen sulfide, which lends the characteristic offensive smell.
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NASA/JPL/University of Arizona (Io and inset)
GAS UP:
Need a pit stop? Titan is not in the most convenient location, out in orbit around Saturn, but it's got abundant hydrocarbon fuels for the taking, earning the Saturnian moon the designation "best fuel depot" from Baker and Ratcliff....[More]
GAS UP:
Need a pit stop? Titan is not in the most convenient location, out in orbit around Saturn, but it's got abundant hydrocarbon fuels for the taking, earning the Saturnian moon the designation "best fuel depot" from Baker and Ratcliff. Titan has a hydrocarbon cycle somewhat akin to Earth's water cycle, complete with methane rains, hydrocarbon fog and lakes of liquid methane and ethane dotting the surface, such as those photographed above by the Cassini spacecraft.
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NASA/JPL/USGS
MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN:
Mount Everest may be the tallest mountain—and the most famous ascent—on Earth, but at 8,850 meters it is not nearly the highest peak in the solar system....[More]
MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN:
Mount Everest may be the tallest mountain—and the most famous ascent—on Earth, but at 8,850 meters it is not nearly the highest peak in the solar system. That honor goes to Mars's Olympus Mons, a volcano more than 600 kilometers in diameter (about the size of Arizona) and, standing 27 kilometers at its peak, roughly three times as tall as Everest.
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NASA/JPL
PERFECT FIT:
A total solar eclipse is a rare event on Earth, but it is even rarer in the context of the solar system at large. Only at Earth does the interplay between the size, shape and distance of the moon and sun allow one body (the moon) to blot out the other (the sun) with virtually no overlap ....[More]
PERFECT FIT:
A total solar eclipse is a rare event on Earth, but it is even rarer in the context of the solar system at large. Only at Earth does the interplay between the size, shape and distance of the moon and sun allow one body (the moon) to blot out the other (the sun) with virtually no overlap. The fact is even more surprising given that Earth has only one moon. Jupiter and Saturn have rich systems of several dozen satellites each, but the vast majority of moons would appear from those planets to cover only part of the sun, essentially providing a partial eclipse. At more distant Uranus and Neptune, the problem is more often the opposite—the moons blot out the entire sun and then some. Two of Saturn's moons, Prometheus and Pandora, are approximately the right size and distance to provide a total eclipse of the Earth-moon-sun variety, but both are oblong bodies that do not match the sun's shape.
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Luc Viatour
YES! Send me a free issue of Scientific American with no obligation to continue the subscription. If I like it, I will be billed for the one-year subscription.
I think you missed the most interesting place in the Solar system: the North pole of Saturn. There is there a enormous storm spanning the entire region, as far as is known a permanent feature, that is clearly octagonal in shape. There is no know explanation for this phenomena, but it is rarely mentioned.
Now, when we speak of a mountain's hight on Earth we speak of its hight from the sea level ?
How do we measure the hight of the Martian mountains ? is there a virtual level we start to measure their hights, or merely we start from the deepest place of the mountain's skirt ?
When praising ancient Roman buildings, roads and theaters, archeologists routinely give credit to famous Roman organizers. When describing discoveries from ancient civilizations, historians feel compelled to give credit to such brilliant designers. But when we discover even more wonderful places in the skies, we take offense at mentioning the mere idea of seeking the copyright holder.
I believe the previous poster was referring to God as being the copyright holder... If that is the case, please stop using this as a forum to argue with people that don't believe that your god created everything. Sometimes, all a person wants is to contemplate the utter awesomeness that is the universe and wonder in it regardless of how it was made, just for beauty's sake.
The hexagon at Saturn's north pole (as well as the "Eye" at the other pole) are both discussed in the book... This slide show is only 8 of the 50 topics covered!
In high concentrations, hydrogen sulphide loses its smell. It is highly poisonous. I would say the most extreme place is the centre of the sun. By the way, God created everything, including scientists and evolutionists!
"please stop using this as a forum to argue with people that don't believe that your god created everything. Sometimes, all a person wants is to contemplate the utter awesomeness that is the universe and wonder in it regardless of how it was made, just for beauty's sake"
I agree - there are plenty of other fora/forums which will welcome Fabrice LOTY's views ...
The U.S. flag on the moon is evidence the idea of holding rights in space is not that absurd... so far as it doesn't include 'the one with whom we have an accounting'.
The hexagon is the most stable geometric pattern/structure, given the lowest possible density to achieve such stability. I read that this is why bees use a hexagonal pattern in their hives/honeycomb. The hexagonal pattern, at least on a macro scale (i.e. visible to the naked eye), achieves the strongest and most stable structure while requiring the smallest amount of resources & energy.
For this pattern to exist on Saturn, the weather/wind patterns on North pole might somehow be isolated from the weather on the rest of the planet and allowing it to naturally, perhaps over millions/billions of years, gravitate to the shape of maximum stability, the hexagon. That's just a guess though.
SJ_BGSmember - Thanks for the hex info. Does the assessment of geometric structural stability include the simple circle or ring? This seems to be the cloud structure most common found encircling rotating planets.
I did find that Wikipedia has some descriptions at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn under the ' North pole hexagonal cloud pattern' heading and a photo at: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saturn_hexagonal_north_pole_feature.jpg
The hex structure was discovered during NASA Voyager flybys in the early 1980s. The referenced most recent image was taken in 2006, indicating its persistence. Each side of the structure is 13,800 km long and extends through the atmosphere at least 75 km in depth.
Eyeballing the larger photo, there appears to me to be some linear, twisting clouds within the hexagonal feature's peripheral structure, somewhat similar to the small twisting structures in Saturn's rings. It appears to me as if they may support the overall hex shape, perhaps by some influence on their twists at the corners of the hexagonal structure. Just a thought...
I had wondered if Saturn's magnetic field might by chance consist of six partitions, but Wiki says is is a simple dipole structure...
Is there any moon of another, multi-moon planet where a second moon can cause a total eclipse when viewed from the first moon, i.e. where two moons and the sun form an alignment and the relative sizes are right? So far, eclipses seem always to be viewed from the planet, does they always have to be viewed from a planet?
well can we built a machine that works om methane nad ethene gases and place it on saturn for scintific purpose? what we need is a source of energy to keep an instrument running. How about using this hydrocarbone to drive the future technology which may help solve the puzzle of the universe. Can some engeener come up with an idea that sucs the hydrocarbone from the atmospher or lake of ethene? That would be incredible!!!!!
Dear all, you have missed out Venus as the most extreme terrian. It has all the ingredients to be a most hostile place. Jupiter has also caotic atmosphere.
Dear all, you have missed out Venus as the most extreme terrian. It has all the ingredients to be a most hostile place. Jupiter has also caotic atmosphere.
Funny how this list of extreme places does not include gas fracking sites here on Earth. Looks like the author might be the beneficiary of Koch Bros. and Heartland Institute funding.
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25 Comments
Add CommentI think you missed the most interesting place in the Solar system: the North pole of Saturn. There is there a enormous storm spanning the entire region, as far as is known a permanent feature, that is clearly octagonal in shape. There is no know explanation for this phenomena, but it is rarely mentioned.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this@jtdwyer -
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThanks for mentioning that, it is certainly very interesting, but the feature is hexagonal. Either way there is no known explanation for it.
candide - Sorry for the error; thanks for the correction and comment.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat an odd cluster at the center,may be hard to explain?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNow, when we speak of a mountain's hight on Earth we speak of its hight from the sea level ?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHow do we measure the hight of the Martian mountains ? is there a virtual level we start to measure their hights, or merely we start from the deepest place of the mountain's skirt ?
Olympus would hardly be experienced as a "mons" with its slope of 2 1/4 � !
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhen praising ancient Roman buildings, roads and theaters, archeologists routinely give credit to famous Roman organizers.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhen describing discoveries from ancient civilizations, historians feel compelled to give credit to such brilliant designers.
But when we discover even more wonderful places in the skies, we take offense at mentioning the mere idea of seeking the copyright holder.
Astrological phenomenon? I presume you meant astronomical. Astrology has nothing to do with science.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI believe the previous poster was referring to God as being the copyright holder... If that is the case, please stop using this as a forum to argue with people that don't believe that your god created everything. Sometimes, all a person wants is to contemplate the utter awesomeness that is the universe and wonder in it regardless of how it was made, just for beauty's sake.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe hexagon at Saturn's north pole (as well as the "Eye" at the other pole) are both discussed in the book... This slide show is only 8 of the 50 topics covered!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn high concentrations, hydrogen sulphide loses its smell. It is highly poisonous. I would say the most extreme place is the centre of the sun.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBy the way, God created everything, including scientists and evolutionists!
God created everything,including scientists,evolutionists,and Satan.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTo true,some of these god bothers simply can not let an opportunity go by to inflict their prejudice and twisted opinions on others
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"please stop using this as a forum to argue with people that don't believe that your god created everything. Sometimes, all a person wants is to contemplate the utter awesomeness that is the universe and wonder in it regardless of how it was made, just for beauty's sake"
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI agree - there are plenty of other fora/forums which will welcome Fabrice LOTY's views ...
The U.S. flag on the moon is evidence the idea of holding rights in space is not that absurd... so far as it doesn't include 'the one with whom we have an accounting'.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this@Fabrice: The CopyRight Holder is hiding in the HexaGON!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this@Fabrice: The CopyRightHolder SEES and Watches us from SATURN's HEXAGON!! Beware !
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe hexagon is the most stable geometric pattern/structure, given the lowest possible density to achieve such stability. I read that this is why bees use a hexagonal pattern in their hives/honeycomb. The hexagonal pattern, at least on a macro scale (i.e. visible to the naked eye), achieves the strongest and most stable structure while requiring the smallest amount of resources & energy.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFor this pattern to exist on Saturn, the weather/wind patterns on North pole might somehow be isolated from the weather on the rest of the planet and allowing it to naturally, perhaps over millions/billions of years, gravitate to the shape of maximum stability, the hexagon. That's just a guess though.
SJ_BGSmember - Thanks for the hex info. Does the assessment of geometric structural stability include the simple circle or ring? This seems to be the cloud structure most common found encircling rotating planets.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI did find that Wikipedia has some descriptions at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn
under the ' North pole hexagonal cloud pattern' heading and a photo at:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saturn_hexagonal_north_pole_feature.jpg
The hex structure was discovered during NASA Voyager flybys in the early 1980s. The referenced most recent image was taken in 2006, indicating its persistence. Each side of the structure is 13,800 km long and extends through the atmosphere at least 75 km in depth.
Eyeballing the larger photo, there appears to me to be some linear, twisting clouds within the hexagonal feature's peripheral structure, somewhat similar to the small twisting structures in Saturn's rings. It appears to me as if they may support the overall hex shape, perhaps by some influence on their twists at the corners of the hexagonal structure. Just a thought...
I had wondered if Saturn's magnetic field might by chance consist of six partitions, but Wiki says is is a simple dipole structure...
Is there any moon of another, multi-moon planet where a second moon can cause a total eclipse when viewed from the first moon, i.e. where two moons and the sun form an alignment and the relative sizes are right? So far, eclipses seem always to be viewed from the planet, does they always have to be viewed from a planet?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswell can we built a machine that works om methane nad ethene gases and place it on saturn for scintific purpose? what we need is a source of energy to keep an instrument running. How about using this hydrocarbone to drive the future technology which may help solve the puzzle of the universe. Can some engeener come up with an idea that sucs the hydrocarbone from the atmospher or lake of ethene?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThat would be incredible!!!!!
Dear all, you have missed out Venus as the most extreme terrian. It has all the ingredients to be a most hostile place. Jupiter has also caotic atmosphere.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDear all, you have missed out Venus as the most extreme terrian. It has all the ingredients to be a most hostile place. Jupiter has also caotic atmosphere.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAstrological phenomenon? I presume you meant astronomical. Astrology has nothing to do with science.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFunny how this list of extreme places does not include gas fracking sites here on Earth.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLooks like the author might be the beneficiary of Koch Bros. and Heartland Institute funding.