Cassini pictures of Saturn system

[David]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...l-cosmic-images-bring-ringed-planet-life.html

 

[the.punk]

Yeah. That are very nice pictures of saturn.:speakcool:

 

[MAraujo]

I can't wait to see the whole hexagon! It shouldn't be more than a couple of months until the terminator unveils it completely.

 

[Artlav]

So, did anyone tried a radar on that giant, to make sure there is no solid surface?

The northern clouds in one of the pictures is just one of the best space shots i've ever seen.

 

[the.punk]

I don't know if they made radar checks but I that saturns middel density 0.7g/cm3.

 

[T.Neo]

So, did anyone tried a radar on that giant, to make sure there is no solid surface?

Why would they want to?
It should be pretty clear that Saturn is a gas giant and has no solid surface in the conventional sense.

 

[the.punk]

As I said before he must be a gas gigant because he has an density of 0.7g/cm3.

 

[MAraujo]

If you look at an adiabatic profile of the gas giants, its pretty clear that there has to be a solid metallic inner-core surrounded by a liquid metallic outer-core. Even though there is a lot of heat, there is simply too much pressure for the giants to gas all the way through.

As Punk says, we know the density of Saturn to quite low, suggesting a very small core (somewhere in the size range of the inner terrestrial planets, but without the heavier metals).

 

[the.punk]

Yes saturn must have a solid core.
The value 0.7g/cm3 is only a avarage value. The atmosphere is very light and the core is very hard. Saturn can't have the same density everywhere because of its mass.

 

[tblaxland]

As I understand it, they would have a solid core but the transition between solid, liquid and gas layers would be quite gradual, or blurry. Like (from inside out): solid->graduated density supercritical slush->supercritical fluid->liquid?->gas.

 

[Pquardzvaark]

Those are some really nice pictures. I really liked the ones where Saturn was viewed sort of through Titan's atmosphere, and the one of the trajectory of the particles in one of the things being disrupted by the Moon.

 

[golden_eye]

Amazing pictures! Thanks for the link.

 

[RisingFury]

As I understand it, they would have a solid core but the transition between solid, liquid and gas layers would be quite gradual, or blurry. Like (from inside out): solid->graduated density supercritical slush->supercritical fluid->liquid?->gas.

If there was liquid at any point, there would be a clearly defined surface. Liquids tend to create oceans...

 

[tblaxland]

If there was liquid at any point, there would be a clearly defined surface. Liquids tend to create oceans...

Only if they have something stable to sit on, which a supercritical fluid does not provide.

 

[Artlav]

How hard is it to make a solid state compressible probe, with a camera and a transmitter with enough penetration for Cassini to hear it thru a few Mm of gaso-liquid?

Send it on a rocket like the one that pushed New Horizons probe, and it will be there before we see Pluto.

If they are so scared of nuclear rockets, shouldn't they at least provide some close-up pictures of what we lost?

I wonder what these clouds look like from inside, that is:

 

[SiberianTiger]

Image of an infrared specular reflection of a lake at Titan! h: Oh great !

http://planetary.org/blog/article/00002267/

 

[Urwumpe]

Wow...that is impressive.

 

[Ark]

Awesome. Cassini is probably my favorite of the outer planet probes.

 

[Andy44]

Cassini is the dream job for those engineers and scientists lucky enough to fly it, I bet.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

BBC News: 'Boat' could explore Saturn moon.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8409052.stm