This nighttime view of Saturn's north pole clearly shows a bizarre six-sided hexagon feature encircling the entire north pole. In this infrared image, red indicates the amount of escaped radiation, or heat, generated in the planet's warm interior.
The strong brightness of the hexagon feature indicates that it is primarily a clearing in the clouds, which extends deep into the atmosphere. This and other images taken over a 12-day period between Oct. 30 and Nov. 11, 2006, show that the feature is nearly stationary.
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