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Using a new method of estimating the speed of rotation of gaseous giants, scientists have revised down the length of Saturn' s day by five minutes.
Img: Saturn as seen from Cassini spacecraft. Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute.
Building on pioneering work by Timothy Dowling of the University of Louisville and the work of Professor Peter Read of Oxford University, who has been using data from the NASA Cassini spacecraft’s infrared spectrometer to study the planet’s atmosphere since 2004, scientists have estimated the length of Saturn's day to be 10 hours, 34 minutes and 13 seconds.
The combination of the two methods has given scientists a better insight into the rotation of gas giants such as Saturn said Professor Peter Read of Oxford University’s Department of Physics, who co-authored the paper.
"We realised that we could combine information on what was visible on the surface of Saturn with Cassini’s infrared data about the planet’s deep interior and build a three dimensional map of Saturn’s winds," he said in a Oxford University press release.
"With this map we were able to track how large waves and eddies develop in the atmosphere and from this come up with a new estimate for the underlying rotation of the planet."
Professor Read added: "While shortening Saturn’s day by five minutes might not sound like much it implies that some of our previous estimates of wind speeds may be out by more than 160 miles per hour!"
"It also means that the weather patterns on Saturn are much more like those we observe on Jupiter, suggesting that, despite their differences, these two giant planets have more in common than previously thought," he said.
The findings are expected to help scientists better understand the evolution of the gas giants and give an insight into the workings of the planets.
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