Hexagon of Saturn in laboratory

2010/04/15 Lakar Iraizoz, Oihane - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Fisika
• Astrofisika

In the north pole of Saturn, the atmospheric winds acquire form of hexagon. Well, some physicists at the University of Oxford have created trailers in the same way with water and explained what it should be.

On a table that rotated slowly a cylinder of 30 liters of water was placed and inside the cylinder a small ring was introduced that rotated faster than the table. The movement of the small ring formed swirls in the water cylinder. Thus, the water cylinder replaced the atmosphere of Saturn; the ring, the same Saturn; and the whirlpools, annular shapes seen in Saturn.

The researchers have found that the change in rotation speed of the ring modifies the shape of the trailers forming ovals, triangles, squares and of course hexagons. It is explained that the greater the difference between the ring and the rotation speed of the water cylinder, the less difference the polygon presents. North of Saturn, the difference between the planet and the wind turning speed in the atmosphere is due to a six-sided polygon.

Photo: Anna Barbosa Agular; interior (Saturn's hexagonal wind jet), NASA, JPL, University of Arizona