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Saturn Has a Warm Pole

Posted by Hemos on from the like-forgotten-earth dept.

Artifex writes "Astronomers using infrared imaging capabilities at Keck Observatory in Hawaii have discovered that Saturn's "south" pole is warm - the first warm pole detected in the solar system. "

4 of 49 comments (clear)

  1. Better by QMO · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I thought that this article was interesting in that it gave the information, explained that the information was incomplete, explained that the information was incompatible with some common ideas about how things work, and didn't try to scare me into anything.

    I didn't see any "as many as" or "could be the most" or even "may destroy civilization as we know it."

    Maybe if there were more political overtones to this topic the article would be more normal?

    --
    Exam 4/C again. Maybe I'll do better this time.
    1. Re:Better by youknowmewell · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Volcano that is conveniently located at or near the pole.

    2. Re:Better by battlesharrp · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Possibly a volcano...
      But don't you have to have a mostly solid(or at least plastic-y like the mantle) surface to have something resembling a volcano?

  2. You're not doing it right. by WaterBreath · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Saturn's "south" pole is warm

    Okay, I'm gonna be nitpicky here... Why in the world is the word "south", within quotation marks in the post?

    Any planet with a magnetic field will have a south pole (and a north pole, of course), which will probably be on the rotational axis of the planet, and which will not necessarily point the same direction in 3-space as Earth's south pole. The linked story doesn't make a distinction. And a quick Google search shows that none of the major science news outlets have put the "south" in quotes, or made any note that it might not actually be the magnetic south pole. So, why would the poster feel it's necessary to throw in the quotes? A failed attempt at being clever?