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Mysterious hexagon on Saturn’s North Pole changes color

Saturn will now come in both, blue and gold!

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NASA’s Voyager and Cassini spacecraft observed that a huge section of Saturn’s surface appears to have changed colour! However, this change hasn’t taken place over night. Images, taken from the Cassini wide-angle camera, hint at the fact that Saturn’s surface has gradually changed its tone from blue to gold from November 2012 to September this year.

The change in its colour is currently, thought to be a result effect of Saturn's seasons. This change, from a bluish color to a more golden hue, may be due to the increased production of photochemical hazes in the atmosphere as the North Pole approaches summer solstice in May 2017.

US Space Agency NASA stated that researchers believe the hexagon, which is technically, a six-sided jet-stream, might act as a barrier that prevents haze particles produced outside it from entering. During the polar winter night between November 1995 and August 2009, Saturn's north polar atmosphere became clear of aerosols produced by photochemical reactions, which involve sunlight and the atmosphere respectively.

Since the planet experienced equinox in August 2009, the polar atmosphere has been basking in continuous sunshine, and aerosols are being produced inside of the hexagon, around the North Pole, making the polar atmosphere appear hazy today.

Other effects could also include changes in atmospheric circulation. However, scientists think seasonally shifting patterns of solar heating probably influence the winds in the Polar Regions.

Even though, there is no exact reason for this change, it is definitely something exciting for astronomers and scientists to figure out in the near future.

Cassini was dispatched to Saturn in 1997, to better understand the processes operating on Saturn and perhaps other giant planets. Saturn, a gas planet, is the second largest planet in the Solar System. It is composed mainly of hydrogen, methane, and helium respectively. 

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