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Possible Clue On Saturn's Hexagon?

Posted by kdawson on from the spinning-buckets dept.

permaculture sends us to nature.com for a description of new (and old) research that might possibly shed some light on the origin of the hexagon around Saturn's north pole. Researchers at the Technical University of Denmark have spun buckets of water, in much the same way Isaac Newton did, and photographed geometrical whirlpools developing. As the buckets are spun up, central holes develop that are first elliptical, then triangular, then square, pentagonal, and hexagonal. A UT Austin researcher is quoted as saying it's unlikely this process is behind the Saturn mystery.

17 of 70 comments (clear)

  1. Intelligent Design by Palmyst · · Score: 4, Funny

    Slam dunk. Don't even try to refute it.

    1. Re:Intelligent Design by jdray · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Well, while the article seems to have a clue what they're talking about, you certainly don't. Intelligent design really is a bunch of lazy researchers...

      Your argument a) misses the joke, and b) holds water less than the parent. Clues must be in short supply, as you indicated.

      --
      The Spoon
      Updated 6/28/2011
    2. Re:Intelligent Design by Johnny5000 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Intelligent Design has its merits

      No, actually.. it really doesn't.
      Not scientific merits, anyway.

      --
      The libertarian solution to the failures of capitalism is to apply more capitalism til the failures are fixed.
  2. Settlers of Catan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The gods are slowly starting to build a Settlers of Catan board. Expect to see prices of wool & brick skyrocket here on earth.

    1. Re:Settlers of Catan by Drey · · Score: 5, Funny

      Obligatory Settler's Joke: "I have wood for sheep."

  3. First time around... by Dan+East · · Score: 4, Informative

    This was brought to light the first time around.

    Dan East

    --
    Better known as 318230.
    1. Re:First time around... by Rei · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well... they may not be directly related, but it is a demonstration of the fact that geometric shapes with relatively straight sides can be formed in a moving fluid. Even if the mechanism is different, it's a nice demonstration that the concept isn't far fetched.

      --
      "It felt almost as good as stealing cars from grandma." -- Margaret Thatcher, probably.
  4. Slow news day... by Floritard · · Score: 3, Informative

    The whirlpools theory was actually linked to in the comments for the original article on slashdot about a month ago. I guess one way to get new stories is to harvest from the comments on old stories.

  5. I've got it by quokkapox · · Score: 4, Funny

    That's where the bees have gone. They've flown to Saturn and are constructing a gigantic honeycomb.

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    it's a blue bright blue Saturday hey hey
    1. Re:I've got it by Emperor+Zombie · · Score: 4, Funny

      Honeycomb's big, Yeah, yeah, yeah.

      --
      I'm so excited I just made water in my pantaloons!
    2. Re:I've got it by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 3, Funny

      Cool. I always wondered where the Honeycomb Hideout was.

      --
      This guy's the limit!
  6. Re:Chaos theory by Tofystedeth · · Score: 5, Informative

    Not to mention there is a difference between "Hey, that cloud over there looks kinda like a butterfly if I squint and turn it sideways!" and "Hey! That enormous section of the north pole of an entire planet looks remarkably like a regular hexagon!" One is basically a rorschach (sp) test. The other is a nifty example of geometry cropping up in nature on a gigantic scale, and for an extended period of time. I don't know how long its been there, but according to the article it has been stable for at least 26 years. In addition, understanding how it works would help them understand more about what goes on underneath Saturn's surface.

    --
    "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Drink deeply or not at all."
  7. Dept of Redundancy dept. by argStyopa · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Wow, he's almost as brilliant as the dozen or more people that posted that exact same reference in http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/2 7/203205 THIS story.

    Note to /. editors: perhaps you should read your stories and their comments?

    --
    -Styopa
  8. Re:Two Minor Things by jfengel · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The face on Mars was really more a trick of the shadows, exacerbated by the low resolution photography. This is on the relatively smooth surface of Saturn, without shadows. This is also a rather simple shape, unlike a face, which we have special circuitry in our brains to recognize (like the face of Jesus in a grilled cheese sandwich.)

    We have much higher resolution pictures of this phenomenon relative to its scale. It could be a lot of things, including mere coincidence, though it seems more likely to be real. Unlike a face, which would have required a civilization (or wild coincidence) to create, there's reason to believe that there is a physical mechanism. It just may or may not be the one suggested in the article (though I'm willing to bet it's at least distantly related).

  9. The Real Reason by Fujisawa+Sensei · · Score: 3, Funny

    The real reason for the hexagon: http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20070408

    --
    If someone is passing you on the right, you are an asshole for driving in the wrong lane.
  10. Re:Benard cells? by Goaway · · Score: 3, Informative

    Bernard cells are Bernard cells. They don't appear on their own, and their shape is caused by the fact that there are many of them.

  11. Re:What's so mysterious about it? by exp(pi*sqrt(163)) · · Score: 4, Funny

    And Earth has the Bermuda triangle. Hey! You're really onto something.

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