Saturn and Titan

Abstract

The Lord of the Rings, Saturn, receives one fourth of the solar energy that Jupiter does (one hundredth that of Earth). Predictions held that its meteorology would be less vibrant than Jupiter’s because of its distance from the Sun. Telescopic views show muted belts and zones, tame versions of those on Jupiter. But in light of the Voyager flybys, Saturn’s weather turned out to be just as tumultuous, and in its own unique style. With revelations brought to us by Voyager, JPL’s Kevin Baines was mystified, then amused. “Saturn is very subdued and lovely, but on the outside only. Saturn is just as dynamic and exciting as Jupiter once you get below the haze. The gravity is low and the particles of haze can hang around for a long time.” The longevity of hazes and cloud features is counterintuitive to those who study Earth’s weather. Caltech’s Andy Ingersoll counsels that we cannot always draw parallels between terrestrial meteorology and that of the outer worlds. “There’s a theme here: Earth analogy didn’t always work for the giant planets, and that’s always part of the fun, part of the intellectual progress.