Monster Storm Rages on Saturn

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

The head of Saturn's huge northern storm is well established in this view captured early in the storm's development by NASA's Cassini spacecraft in late 2010.

Saturn's atmosphere and its rings are shown here in a false colour composite made from three images taken in near infrared light through filters that are sensitive to varying degrees of methane absorption.

Red and orange colours in this view indicate clouds that are deep in the atmosphere.

Yellow and green colours, most noticeable near the top of the view, indicate intermediate clouds.

White and blue indicate high clouds and haze. The rings appear as a thin horizontal line of bright blue because they are outside of the atmosphere and not affected by methane absorption.

This view looks toward the southern, unilluminated side of the rings from just below the ringplane.