| |
| Risultati della ricerca nelle immagini - "Vortex" |
Saturn-North_Pole-PIA14945-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgNorth Polar Spring (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)66 visiteThe North Pole of the Gas-Giant Planet Saturn, now illuminated by the fresh lights of the incoming Spring, is finally revealed in this image taken by the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft on November 27, 2012. As you know, the North Pole of Saturn has been hiding for a long time from the gaze of the Cassini's Imaging Cameras, and that circumstance was due to the fact that it was still Wintertime in (and therefore a deep darkness all over) the Northern Hemisphere of the Ringed Planet when the Spacecraft arrived in the Saturnian System in the AD 2004.
A Hurricane-like Storm circling Saturn's North Pole at about 89° North Latitude is also well visible inside the famous "Hexagon" Feature, which scientists think is a wandering Jet-Stream that whips around the North Pole of Saturn at a relatively constant mean speed of about 220 miles per hour (such as a little more than 354 Km per hour). Such a Jet-Stream it is folded into a six-sided shape because the Hexagon is a Stationary Wave that guides the path of the Gases existing inside the Jet itself. The Hexagon borders occur at about 77° North Latitude and the Feature is wider than two (flat) Earths. Last, but not least, a little section of the Rings of Saturn can also be seen in the upper right corner of the image.
This frame was acquired with the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft Wide-Angle Camera at a distance of approximately 260.000 miles (such as a little more than 418.000 Km) from the top of the Saturnian Clouds and at a Sun-Saturn-Cassini Spacecraft, or Phase, Angle of 96°. Image scale is roughly 18 miles (such as 28,968 Km) per pixel. For another image of the Hexagon and the Hurricane-like Storm that encircles the North Pole of Saturn, please refer to the APOD of December, 29, 2012.
This frame (which is a NASA - CASSINI Spacecraft Original Natural Color frame published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal and identified by the serial n. PIA 14945) has been additionally processed, magnified, contrast enhanced and then re-colorized, according to an educated guess carried out by Dr Paolo C. Fienga (LXTT-IPF), in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft and then looked outside, towards the North Pole of Satun), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team. Different colors, as well as different shades of the same color, mean, among others, the existence of different Elements in the Upper Atmosphere of Satun, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.MareKromium
|
|
Saturn-North_Pole-Vortex-Cassini-EB-MF-LXTT-IPF.gifPeering into the Storm (a GIF-Movie by Elisabetta Bonora and Marco Faccin/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)79 visite...Splendido e Affascinante...MareKromium
|
|
Saturn-North_Pole-Vortex-Cassini_1024-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgPeering into the Storm (Absolute Natural Colors - Credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)91 visiteThe NASA - Cassini Spacecraft has been traveling the Saturnian System in a set of inclined, or "tilted", orbits that are giving to the mission scientists a vertigo-inducing view of Saturn's Polar Regions. This perspective has yielded images of roiling Storm Clouds and a swirling Vortex at the center of Saturn's famed North Polar Hexagon. This phenomenon mimic what Cassini found at Saturn's South Pole a few years ago. The Spacecraft has also seen several Storms circling Saturn's North Pole in the past, but only in InfraRed Wavelengths, since the North Pole was in complete darkness. But now, with the change of the Saturnian Season, the Sun has finally begun to creep over the Gas-Giant Planet's North Pole, which has therefore become visible even in the Wavelenghts of Visible Light. This particular image was taken on November, 27, 2012, with Cassini's Narrow-Angle Camera. The Camera, at the time the picture was obtained, was pointing toward Saturn from approximately 224.618 miles (such as about 361.488 kilometers) away.
This picture (which is an Original NASA - Cassini Spacecraft b/w frame identified by the n. IMG004677-br500) has been additionally processed and then colorized, according to an informed speculation carried out by Dr Paolo C. Fienga (LXTT-IPF), in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft and then looked outside, towards the North Pole of Saturn), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team. Different colors, as well as different shades of the same color, mean, among others, the existence of different Elements present in the Atmosphere of Saturn, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition. MareKromium
|
|
Saturn-Vortex-EB-MF-LXTT-IPF-1.jpgNorth Polar Vortex (CTX Frame: Calibrated Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Elisabetta Bonora and Marco Faccin/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation; EDM: Absolute Natural Colors; credits: Dr Paolo C. Fienga)87 visiteThe NASA - Cassini Spacecraft has recently been travelling the Saturnian System in a set of inclined (or "tilted"), orbits that were fit to give to the Mission Scientists a vertigo-inducing view of Saturn's North Polar Regions. This (kind of "new") perspective has brought to light quite a few images of roiling Storm Clouds and a swirling Vortex, located at the center of Saturn's famed North Polar "Hexagon" (being tha latter an Atmospherical Feature whose origin and visual configuration are still a mistery).
These North Polar Phenomena, however, basically mimic what Cassini found at Saturn's South Pole, a number of years ago. As a matter of fact, the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft had also seen several Storms circling the North Polar Regions of Saturn in the past, but the vision had come only in InfraRed Wavelengths, since the North Pole of the Ringed Gas-Giant Planet was in complete darkness. Now, with the change of the Saturnian Season, the Sun has once again begun to creep over the North Pole of Saturn, and this frame (that was obtained in Visible Light) shows us what Cassini has actually seen...
This picture (which is an Original NASA - Cassini Spacecraft b/w frame) was taken on November, 27th, 2012, with the Cassini's Wide-Angle Imaging Camera. The Camera, at the time that the picture was taken, was pointing at the North Polar Regions of Saturn from approx. 233.742 miles (such as about 376.170 Km) away.
The resulting frame (in its CTX Version) has been additionally processed and then colorized in Natural Colors (such as the colors that a perfect human eye - or an Electronic Eye - would have perceived while looking at Saturn from Cassini's vantage point); the EDM Version (in the upper right corner of the image), on the other hand, has been obtained by re-processing and then re-colorizing the picture - according to an informed speculation carried out by Dr Paolo C. Fienga (LXTT-IPF) - in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a normal - meaning: in the average - human eye would have actually caught if someone would have been onboard the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft and then had looked outside, towards the North Pole of Saturn), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team. Different colors, as well as different shades of the same color, mean, among others, the existence of different Elements present in the Atmosphere of Saturn, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.MareKromium
|
|
South_Polar_Vortex-00.jpgVenusian South Polar Vortex (1)55 visiteOriginal ESA caption:"On 20 April 2006, after its first 9-day, elongated orbit around Venus, ESA’s Venus Express started to get closer to the Planet, until it reached its final 24-hour long orbit on 7 May. During this time, and up to today, the spacecraft has been working relentlessly: the new data coming in are already providing first glimpses on planetary features never seen before.
If taking the first ever clear images of the double-eye vortex at Venus’ South Pole - imaged by Venus Express during its very first orbit - was already a first in the history of planetary exploration and a very pleasant surprise for the scientists, nobody could expect that the vortex had a structure even more complicated than possibly foreseen".
|
|
South_Polar_Vortex-01.jpgVenusian South Polar Vortex (2)59 visiteOriginal ESA caption:"Infrared images taken by the Ultraviolet-Visible-Near-Infrared spectrometer (VIRTIS) on board the spacecraft, not only provided the first clear view of the vortex, but also gave a much closer insight into it when Venus Express flew over the South Pole at the end of May 2006.
VIRTIS is an instrument that can operate at different wavelengths. Each infrared wavelength provides a view of the Venusian atmosphere at a different altitude, like a 'cross-section'.
"When we looked at this gigantic vortex at different depths, we realised how much its shape is varying over altitude", said Pierre Drossart, VIRTIS co-Principal Investigator, from the Observatoire de Paris, France.
"It is like if we were looking at different structures, rather than a single one.
And the new data we have just started gathering and analysing reveal even stronger differences".
|
|
South_Polar_Vortex-02.jpgVenusian South Polar Vortex (3)54 visiteOriginal ESA caption:"The reason why the morphology of the vortex varies so extensively along a 'vertical' line is still unexplained.
"This is why we are organizing a campaign to observe the South Polar Vortex, fully dedicated to solve this unexpected puzzle", said Giuseppe Piccioni, VIRTIS co-Principal Investigator.
"First we want to understand how the structure is organized - actually, with VIRTIS we are building a true 3D view of the vortex. Then we hope to be able to better understand what are the driving forces that shape it".
|
|
|
| 7 immagini su 1 pagina(e) |
|
|
|
