Something Strange About Saturn
by S. Hayes, Nov 30, 2008
Theories behind the mysterious hexagon on the surface of Saturn.
Saturn, the sixth planet in our solar system, has
caused quite a stir in the news recently when the NASA Cassini
Orbiter photographed a six sided geometric shape on the surface of
the planet.
The hexagon had been photographed by Voyager 1 in
1980, however, at the time, it was thought to be an anomaly, a
random surface pattern that could not be sustained for any length
of time.
The images below, illustrate the stark, and as yet,
unexplained contrast between the opposite poles of Saturn.
The image (below) on the left, is the North Pole of
Saturn - note the bizarre, defined hexagonal shape etched into the
atmosphere. Clouds of ammonia race anti-clockwise along the
straight edges of the hexagon at over 300 miles per hour, making
the 60 degree turns at the edges. The hexagon is enormous,
measuring over 25,000 km across (wide enough to fit four planet
earths from edge to edge inside it).
The image on the right is the South Pole of Saturn
(spookily resembling an eye) is a 5000 mile wide hurricane raging
within the atmosphere. The estimated wind speed of the monster
storm is 350 mph, with the pole locked at the centre. Jupiter's
famed visible red spot is also a hurricane type storm - but it
differs from the one on Saturn as it has no "eye". The
eye on Saturn has allowed astronomers a glimpse into the lower
layers of the atmosphere, but only to see a mysterious set of dark
clouds at the bottom of the eye.
Just as Earth has Aurora's - the Aurora Borealis
(Northern lights) and the Aurora Australis (Southern lights) - see
the pictures below, Saturn has an aurora directly above the
hexagon at the North pole. Aurora's are formed where the planet's
magnetic field are weak, allowing charged particles from the solar
wind to penetrate into the atmosphere.
Why a Hexagon?
NASA scientists have stated that they cannot identify
the processes which formed and maintain the hexagon on Saturn's
surface, it has them baffled.
Whether NASA scientists really are baffled - or
simply unwilling to reveal the science will unfortunately also
remain a mystery.
However, it has led many to speculate about the
origin of the hexagon.
Hexagons are formed through natural processes on
earth - the pictures demonstrate the honeycomb, the rock formation
at the Fingals Cave and "The giant's causeway "in
Ireland (see http://www.trifter.com/Europe/Fingals-Cave-and-the-Incredible-Architectural-Rock-Formations-of-Staffa.269721)
and a magnified snowflake.
None of the processes which formed the hexagons in
the pictures above can explain Saturn's appearance.
There are however a couple of interesting theories
which may provide and answer
Theory 1 - C ymatics
Sound is essentially a resonance, a vibration and
sound affects the energy it travels through, and any matter that
it comes into contact with.
Those vibrations have a surprising effect - each
musical note/pitch produces an individual geometric shape!
If rice or salt is sprinkled onto a metal sheet and a
resonance introduced the geometric shapes can be observed.
Check it out on you-tube, this is one of many, many
links:- http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6wmFAwqQB0g&feature=related
Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland (featured in the book
"The Da-Vinci Code" by Dan Brown) was built by the
Knights Templar in 1477.
The chapel contains a number of stone blocks (shown
in the pictures below) within its architecture. Each stone block
has a different symbol, each symbol corresponds with a different
musical note.
The stone masons literally recorded a hymn within the
walls of the chapel with the use of cymatics which has been
translated and played in the chapel.
Saturn is a classified as a planetary gas giant, with
a core of rock and ice with an atmosphere comprised mainly of
hydrogen and helium.
The theory that cymatic processes could have formed
the bizarre hexagon within the atmosphere as a result of a
localised resonance emanating from an as yet unknown source in the
universe is an interesting one.
Theory 2 - Hyperdimensional Physics
This is a very complex theory, first mooted by 19th
century scientists
In essence, hyperdimensional physics is based upon
traditional mathematical and geometrical formulas which are then
altered to introduce additional unseen dimensions where energy can
be created or lost.
If you consider a traditional three dimensional cube,
if you were to add a hypothetical fourth dimension, a hypercube is
created. Follow this link to observe a hypercube http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:8-cell.gif
This is very, very freaky!
The theory is based upon the same assumption as
string theory - ie our universe (and all matter within it) is
essentially a mesh of connected, vibrating energy. Quantum
physicists can observe vibration in electrons, which appear to
oscillate in and out of existence - which led to theories of
multiple dimensions (along with theories of multiple universes).
Within our solar system, planets appear to be capable of
outputting (or loss of) far more energy than they absorb from
their nearest sun (even after taking into account internal
chemical / nuclear reactions) -leading to the conclusion that
unseen dimensions exist from which, energy transfer can occur.
Hyperdimensional physics may go some way to explain
the appearance of planetary processes which result in the
appearance of odd geometrical patterns visible on their surfaces.
Hexagons on other planets!
Saturn is not the only planet where hexagons have
appeared
Mars
The picture below shows the retreating polar ice cap
on Mars - in the central and right image, a hexagon is visible.
Jupiter
A geometric shape, noted by NASA to be a
"quasi-hexagon" has been photographed in Jupiter's
northern hemisphere.
 The hexagons
remain the focus of continued scientific investigation, however,
resolution may be a long time coming as they open up huge and
complex questions about the entire universe and everything in it,
from the smallest sub-atomic particle to the largest body of mass.
Copyright S. Hayes, Nov 30, 2008
Presented with permission of the author.
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