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Space & Astronomy

Massive hurricanes plague other worlds

By T.K. Randall
August 29, 2011 · Comment icon 6 comments

Image Credit: NASA/JHU/APL
Earth is not the only planet to experience hurricanes - storms on Jupiter and Saturn put Irene to shame.
For years astronomers have observed gigantic storms larger than our whole planet in the churning atmospheres of the gas giants. Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a storm that has lasted over 180 years and on Saturn a 10,000km wide thunderstorm erupted last December with no signs of stopping.
Warm, moist air over tropical or subtropical seas rises, causing a zone of lower air pressure beneath it. Higher-pressure air zips in to fill the void. But that air soon warms, becomes moist and rises, too. As this pattern repeats, a huge, swirling storm is born. Jupiter and Saturn don't have oceans, so their spinning storms aren't "hurricanes" in the strict, terrestrial sense. But similar processes spawn them, according to Ingersoll.


Source: Space.com | Comments (6)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by Inanna 13 years ago
Our planet is not the only one in the solar system that boasts huge, hurricane-like storms. The gas giants Jupiter and Saturn, for example, churn out spinning squalls that can be bigger than the entire Earth. While these storms aren't fed by warm ocean water the way terrestrial hurricanes are, they're similar in a lot of ways, scientists say. http://www.space.com/12750-extraterrestrial-hurricanes-storms-jupiter-saturn.html Like Jupiter.Thats a big fatty!
Comment icon #2 Posted by Trog 13 years ago
If those planets have storms that produce rain , then they must also have a water source because that's where rain comes from , but it could be Acid Rain .
Comment icon #3 Posted by booNyzarC 13 years ago
I'll bet HAARP is responsible for those extraterrestrial ones too...
Comment icon #4 Posted by DONTEATUS 13 years ago
All we ever hear is people Haarpin about this blk project,or that project ! When are we just going to enjoy the needed rain?
Comment icon #5 Posted by psyche101 13 years ago
If those planets have storms that produce rain , then they must also have a water source because that's where rain comes from , but it could be Acid Rain . Some have temperatures and pressures where substances like methane stay in a liquid state and form large surface bodies. Saturns moon Titan has many methane lakes. Methane and life at the surface
Comment icon #6 Posted by WhiteButterfly 13 years ago
That must be very healthy for the surrounding environment, psyche101


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