It has been observed that the megastorms on Saturn can persist for a remarkably long time, up to a hundred years or more.
Megastorms on Saturn revealed to last a hundred years (Photo: Space.com)
Megastorms on Saturn Showed in a New Study
According to PHYS ORG, a new study conducted by astronomers from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, shows that despite being less colorful, there are still long-lasting megastorms on Saturn that persist for centuries.
As per the recent journal publication, it has been found that megastorms on Saturn hit at an interval of around 20 to 30 years. These megastorms are believed to be like hurricanes on Earth but on a much larger scale.
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Discoveries of Megastorms on Saturn by UC Berkeley Researchers
According to Science Daily, scientists at UC Berkeley have discovered an unexpected concentration of ammonia gas in a giant planet’s atmosphere, linked to past megastorms in the northern hemisphere.
Ammonia levels were lower at mid-altitudes but higher at lower altitudes, according to scientists’ observations during their research. This discrepancy is believed to be due to the transport of ammonia from the upper atmosphere to the lower atmosphere through precipitation and re-evaporation.
The study further revealed that megastorms on Saturn and Jupiter, while both composed of hydrogen gas, are quite different, challenging scientists’ understanding of megastorm formation on gas giants and possibly having implications for the study of exoplanets in the future.
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