November 10, 2006 8:18 AM PST
NASA's Cassini spacecraft has discovered a new wonder on Saturn--a huge vortex at the ringed planet's south pole. Images released Thursday show the first storm of its kind seen on another planet. Winds are swirling around an eye, just like a hurricane on Earth, except the winds on Saturn are blowing at about 350 miles per hour. A Category 5 hurricane on Earth contains winds of more than 156 miles per hour.
Clouds casting a shadow in the center of the vortex extend from 20 to 45 miles above the surface. This storm has a diameter of about 5,000 miles.
Photo by NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
