What is it actually about? This is explained by the authors of the publication published in Nature Communications. As they suggest, the information collected so far and the conclusions drawn on its basis will have an impact on how we understand atmospheric conditions on gas giants like Saturn. In addition, they should facilitate the study of the evolution of this species.
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University of Houston officials have achieved a historic breakthrough by observing a global seasonal energy imbalance for the first time on a gas giant planet. This is a surprising turn of events, so it should come as no surprise that astronomers are taking a great interest in this topic.
Behind the titular oddity lies Saturn’s elliptical orbit. Its eccentricity means that the entire planet receives different amounts of radiation from the Sun. The differences are so large, because there is about a 20 percent difference between the closest and farthest points separating the two objects.
Research on Saturn suggests that the energy imbalance on this planet is particularly high
On Earth, the variation is not so large, so annual fluctuations in energy imbalance are less pronounced on our planet. According to astronomers, this imbalance may determine the occurrence of the famous and very powerful storms that occur on Saturn. This is surprising, because previous models of the atmosphere, climate, and evolution of gas giant planets suggested a balanced energy balance. However, the imbalances identified by recent research will be key to reevaluating these models.
Read also: The Earth’s inner core rotates slower and slower. This will affect the surface of the planet
Given the potential impact of this imbalance on the probability of storms on Saturn, a better understanding of conditions there should play an important role. It appears that this may be the case for other gas giants, such as Jupiter. It is possible that a similar phenomenon on Earth, albeit on a much smaller scale, could have some impact on local weather. According to the authors, the largest differences should be detected on Uranus, where the orbital eccentricity is particularly large.
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