The beauty secret of Saturn

[L.A.F.]

Saturn, as the sixth planet in our solar system, has become an object of beauty (due to its majestic rings) for every amateur astronomer.

Another reason for its beauty is Saturn's appearance.
Planets become darker and cooler over time, but not this planet. Why?

Researches have found the explanation:
"Scientists have been wondering for years if Saturn was using an additional source of energy to look so bright but instead our calculations show that Saturn appears young because it can't cool down. Instead of heat being transported throughout the planet by large scale (convective) motions, as previously thought, it must be partly transferred by diffusion across different layers of gas [mostly He and H2] inside Saturn. These separate layers effectively insulate the planet and prevent heat from radiating out efficiently. This keeps Saturn warm and bright."
("Saturn's Youthful Appearance Explained" (04/30/2013), http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/201...131525.htm)

What planetary secrets will we discover tomorrow?

[Terr]

Fresh ice crystals from Titan might help.

[Minimalist]

Very interesting.

I have a question for the astronomers.




Even in antiquity Mars was known for its red color yet in the photo to the naked eye ( which is all the ancients had ) it looks like a bright light.

Any thoughts on this?

[Jackalope]

Dunno, Min. It's always looked reds sh to me.

[pocaracas]

Min, that photo is saturated and false... how can you have venus and mars at the same time?! (I know of away and it accounts for the difference in size of the planets on that photo, but I ain't tellin')

[Terr]

That ain't a photo, cobbled together composite but with so much jpg artifacting colour can easily be lost. Mars always looks reddish to the eye.

[Minimalist]

How can you tell one photo from another, though?

http://ofpink.files.wordpress.com/2011/0...nction.jpg

( had to put in the url....photo was waaayyy too big.)

[Terr]

How can you tell one photo from another, though?

http://ofpink.files.wordpress.com/2011/0...nction.jpg

( had to put in the url....photo was waaayyy too big.)

Obvious composite, planets don't all appear in the sky like that, you may see two maybe occasionally three across an entire horizon but never in this this fashion, clumped and off the eccliptic plane.

---

How can you tell one photo from another, though?

http://ofpink.files.wordpress.com/2011/0...nction.jpg

( had to put in the url....photo was waaayyy too big.)

Obvious composite, planets don't all appear in the sky like that, you may see two maybe occasionally three across an entire horizon but never in this this fashion, clumped and off the eccliptic plane.

PS. A moon mars, moon jupiter, they are common enough.

[Jackalope]

Min, that photo is saturated and false... how can you have venus and mars at the same time?! (I know of away and it accounts for the difference in size of the planets on that photo, but I ain't tellin')

Easily, near sunset/sunrise when Venus is near maximum elongation and Mars is in the same region of the ecliptic. Mars won't be ideally placed for observingin that case.

[Minimalist]

There are planetary conjunctions, though.



Regardless of how many exposures, Mars just does not look all that "red" to me.