Saturn storm stretches for 17,000 kilometres

by Steven Mostyn - Jul 7 2011, 07:06

While the summer months here on Earth can often throw up some impressively violent storm fronts, count yourself lucky that you’re not currently holidaying on the surface of Saturn.

More pointedly, a massive storm presently raging on the distant ringed planet has caught the eye of stargazing scientists after it was captured on camera by the nearby Cassini space probe during the tail end of 2010.

Also visible from Earth with the aid of powerful ground-based telescopes, Saturn’s storm was first spotted following the appearance of massive swirling white streaks of ammonia cloud measuring around 17,000 kilometres across.

In terms of power, the storm is producing as many as ten lightning blasts every second, with each bolt carrying around 10,000 times more energy than the flashes we witness here on Earth.

Labelled a ‘Great White Spot’ by scientists, such huge storms are fairly infrequent on Saturn, hitting the planet once every 30 years or so. This particular storm has likely developed as the planet changes seasons.

Full details regarding Saturn’s latest Great White Spot can be read in the latest issue of science journal Nature.

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