A MYSTERIOUS 鈥渟tring of pearls鈥� has been spotted in Saturn鈥檚 atmosphere by NASA鈥檚 Cassini spacecraft. These and other features indicate that the ringed planet鈥檚 atmosphere is much more active than expected.
Saturn was thought to be placid compared to tempestuous Jupiter, but Cassini鈥檚 infrared images, cutting through the planet鈥檚 high-altitude haze, have revealed that it is seething with activity lower down.
The string of pearls formation is made of alternating bright and dark patches, something never seen before. 鈥淭his is not a boring planet any more,鈥� says Kevin Baines of NASA鈥檚 Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. 鈥淣ow the dynamicists have to figure out why it is so active.鈥�
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