13 August 2012
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Fig. 1
Two false-color images of a lightning flash (arrowed) glowing in a huge storm in the atmosphere of Saturn, the ringed giant planet. The images were acquired by NASA’s Saturn-bound Cassini spacecraft.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
These false-color images from NASA's Saturn-orbiting Cassini spacecraft show lightning blazing within a huge long-lasting storm that churned in Saturn in 2011.
The larger image on the left reveals the lightning flash, which glows as a blue dot (arrowed). The image on the right is composed of images taken 30 minutes later, and the lightning is not detected at that time.
The optical energy of this and other lightning flashes on Saturn is comparable to the strongest terrestrial flashes. Scientists have concluded that the Saturnian lightning bolts originate in the clouds deeper down in Saturn's atmosphere where water droplets freeze. This is similar to where lightning is created on Earth.
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Fig. 2
This Cassini picture shows Saturn’s gigantic 2011 storm (arrowed).
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
The images were obtained with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera, on 6 March 2011, at a distance of approximately 3.3 million km from Saturn. They were processed to improve the visibility of the lightning.
The Cassini spacecraft is joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency, ESA, and the Italian Space Agency. It is one of the most successful and most expensive space missions. It was inserted into Saturn orbit in July 2004, after flying in interplanetary space for nearly seven years. It has acquired numerous images of Saturn, its rings and its satellites, and conducted startling discoveries that revolutionized scientists’ understanding of Saturn.
References:
NASA
www.nasa.gov/
NASA’s Planetary Photojournal
Aymen Mohamed Ibrahem
Senior Astronomy Specialist