page_title: Extraterrestrial vortex
section_title: Saturn
hierarchical_section_title: Extraterrestrial vortex / Saturn
caption_attribution_description: English: The huge storm (great white spot) churning through the atmosphere in Saturn's northern hemisphere overtakes itself as it encircles the planet in this true-color view from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSICatalà: L'enorme tempesta (la gran taca blanca) produint-se a través de l'atmosfera de l'hemisferi nord de Saturn es solapa amb ella mateixa, ja que circumda el planeta en aquesta imatge en color veritable de la nau espacial Cassini de la NASA. crèdit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI
context_page_description: An extraterrestrial vortex is a vortex that occurs on planets and natural satellites other than Earth that have sufficient atmospheres. Most observed extraterrestrial vortices have been seen in large cyclones, or anticyclones. However, occasional dust storms have been known to produce vortices on Mars and Titan. Various spacecraft missions have recorded evidence of past and present extraterrestrial vortices. The largest extraterrestrial vortices are found on the gas giants, Jupiter and Saturn, and the ice giants, Uranus and Neptune.
context_section_description: Every Saturn year, about 28 Earth years, Saturn has massive planet-circling storms, called Great White Spots. The Great White Spots are short-lived but can impact the atmosphere and temperature of the planet for up to 3 Earth years after their collapse. The spots can be several thousand kilometers wide and can even run into their own tails and fade out once they circle the planet.
  Most storms on Saturn occur in a zone in the southern hemisphere dubbed 'storm alley' by scientists for its high abundance of storm activity. Storm alley lies 35 degrees south of the equator and it is still unknown why there is such a large quantity of storms that form here. There is also a long-lived storm known as the Dragon Storm, which flares occasionally on Saturn's southern latitudes. Cassini detected bursts of radio emissions from the storm on multiple occasions, similar to the short bursts of static that are produced from lightning on earth.
  On October 11, 2006, the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft took images of a storm with a well-defined distinct eyewall over the south pole of Saturn. It was 8,000 kilometers (5,000 mi) across, with storms in the eyewall reaching 70 km (40 mi) high. The storm had wind speeds of 550 km/h (340 mph) and appeared to be stationary over Saturn's south pole.
  Saturn currently holds the record for the longest continuous thunderstorm in the Solar System with a storm that Cassini observed back in 2009 that lasted for over 8 months. Instruments on Cassini detected powerful radio waves coming from lightning discharges in Saturn's atmosphere. These radio waves are about 10,000 times stronger than the ones emitted by terrestrial lightning.
  A hexagonal cyclone in Saturn's north pole has been spotted since the passage of Voyager 1 and 2, and was first imaged by Cassini on January 3, 2009. It is just under 15,000 miles (25,000 km) in diameter, with a depth of about 60 miles (100 km), and encircles the north pole of the ringed planet at roughly 78° N latitude.
caption: Saturn's Great White Spot, imaged by NASA's Cassini Spacecraft in 2011
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