A breathtaking new image, transmitted by NASA's Cassini space probe, appears to shed new light on the mysterious storm that has raged for over 30 years on Saturn's northern pole. Space.com reported that while the Cassini spacecraft captured the image back in January, NASA finally released it only last week.
Depicting Saturn's wonders, and a glimpse of one of its 62 moons, Tethys, one of the most intriguing aspects of the newest image is Saturn's hexagon – a unique anomaly not seen on other planets.
The hexagonal structure, with a churning storm at its center, has been raging above its north pole for more than three decades. The storm is approximately 20,000 miles wide and descends more than 60 miles down into Saturn's atmosphere which is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium.
Intriguingly, the mystery hexagon rotates around its axis at nearly the same speed as Saturn itself. Since it was first discovered, the polar tempest has baffled scientists who have yet to discern its origin.
Exploring Saturn since 2004, Cassini will continue to study the sixth planet from the sun until its orbit decays in three years - dropping the probe into the atmosphere on a final mission into the unknown.