I think it was created by the little green men on Pluto.
The Hexagon of Saturn
The mysterious hexagon in the atmosphere above Saturn's north pole appears in an infrared image of the planet's thermal glow. The darker lanes bordering the bright red hexagon are thick clouds that block heat from escaping. (Photo: NASA)
Saturn's Hexagon: The Plot Thickens
By John Tierney
Tags: Hex Nut of the Giants, hexagon, Saturn, space bees
We're still not quite finished testing your many theories for the hexagon above Saturn's north pole, but I can give you a brief progress report.
The bad news: There may actually be a sensible scientific explanation. Josh pointed to a report in Nature about the creation of hexagons and other geometric figures in a bucket of swirling water.
The good news: We're not going to let the facts get in the way of a myth. Orion would be just another bunch of stars without the spin about the hunter and his midriff accessorizing. And we do have some promising new myths, thanks to your explanations of the hexagon. I can't divulge the details of the extensive peer-review process going on at the Lab, but I can tell you that the judges are looking closely at your theories that the Hexagon is actually:
The work of space bees. (Several variations were proposed, most notably the grand unified theory of Charles Rugel, who attributed Titan and Saturn's rings to a Nanny bee.)
A section of a planetary-sized soccer ball. (Proposed by Craig Milos Rogers and Ted J.)
One very large Stop sign. (Frank L.'s offered one creation saga; Charles Peterson drew on the Egyptians for another.
The final resting place for all the red-eye pixels deleted from Earthlings' cameras. (Steve Schoenwiesner spelled out the physics.)
The Hex Nut of the Giants. The Lab's homegrown entry is still in the running, but is being subjected to brutal testing.
A large stone swallowed by Saturn so that he wouldn't eat his son, Jupiter. (William S. Anderson proposed it first; Angie O. offered a variation of the frustrated infanticide. The traditional mythologoical hooks makes this a strongly appealing approach, but the judges would like to see a more fully developed story line.
I mean, was this really just a simple habit of eating one's children? Or were there darker forces at work? An organic high-protein diet? A plan to to promote sustainable development?
The judges will be working all weekend in the Lab. They welcome your votes and guidance — and I've been assured they'll even consider last-minute entries. Our only requirement is that you make a choice: submit it either here or to that dreary Nobel committee, but not both. We tale the rivalry seriously. When naming the solar system, priority matters.
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