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Saturn is so beautiful that astronomers can not resist using the NASA / ESA Hubble Space Telescope to take annual shots of the gas giant at its closest distance from the Earth. Hubble's wide-angle camera 3 (WFC3) observed Saturn on June 20, 2019 as the ringed world was nearing Earth this year, at 1.36 billion kilometers (808 million miles).
Hubble observed Saturn on June 20, 2019 as the planet was getting closer to Earth this year, at about 808 million kilometers. Image Credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / A. Simon, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / M.H. Wong, University of California, Berkeley / OPAL Team.
Saturn is home to many recognizable features, including its trademark ring system, which is now tilted toward the Earth. This gives us a magnificent view of its glossy and glossy structure.
The Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens first identified the rings in 1655. They thought it was a continuous disc surrounding the planet, but we now know that it's not a problem. they are composed of ice particles and dust in orbit.
Although all gas giants boast rings, Saturn is the largest and most spectacular.
The age of Saturn's ringing system continues to be debated. And, more disturbing still, we do not know what cosmic event has formed the rings.
Another mysterious feature is the long, hexagonal structure surrounding the North Pole of the planet.
This is a mysterious six-sided pattern caused by a stream of high speed jets. The hexagon is so big that four lands could fit within its boundaries.
Other features, however, do not last that long. A big storm in the northern polar region spotted by Hubble last year has disappeared.
Smaller convective storms, like the one just above the center of the planet's image, come and go.
The amber colors of Saturn come from summer clouds resembling smog, produced during photochemical reactions driven by solar ultraviolet radiation.
Below the haze are clouds of ammonia ice crystals, as well as lower and invisible clouds of ammonium hydrosulfide and water.
The band structure of the planet is caused by winds and clouds at different altitudes.
The appearance of Saturn changes with the seasons, due to the planet's axial tilt of 27 degrees. This image was taken during the summer in the northern hemisphere of the planet.
This image is the second in an annual series of snapshots taken as part of the Outer Planets Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) project.
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