2001 Edition -- Target 3: Saturn, Grade 9 to 12 Winner
2001 Edition -- Target 3: Saturn, Grade 9 to 12 Winner
| ||||
| Ruchica Chandnani | ||||
| Troy High School | ||||
| 10th Grade Troy, Michigan Teacher: Rebecca Brewer | ||||
|
"On October 15th, 1997, the Cassini spacecraft launched into space and began its journey to observe the anomalies of Saturn that the Pioneer and the Voyager uncovered. It wasn't until 2004 that Cassini entered Saturn's orbit to begin its first examination. Soon, Cassini will pinpoint three targets to analyze: Pan, the F ring, and Saturn itself. Despite all targets holding scientific value in astronomy, Saturn contains several properties for scientists to study. Saturn has a plethora of reasons for further exploration, one of them being its meteorology. Saturn's winds reach incredible speeds; scientists say they reach as high as 1800 km/hr. Being a gas giant, most of Saturn is composed of hydrogen and helium with traces of gases like ammonia and methane. Saturn is also known for its long-lasting storms, like the Great White Spot and the Dragon Storm in Saturn's southern hemisphere. In the north pole lies another storm in the formation of a hexagon whose sides are longer than Earth's diameter. Scientists also exposed a "string of pearls" around Saturn, which are 24 regularly-placed cloud clearings in the atmosphere. By scrutinizing phenomenons in Saturn's weather, astronomers can comprehend not only how these natural marvels work, but how they relate to our weather patterns on Earth. Saturn's rings also distinguish it from the other outer planets. Picturesque and mystifying, these rings are thousands of kilometers long, yet are extraordinarily thin – only 10 meters thick! These rings have billions of individual particles made of mostly ice and water, but they are formed due to different reasons. For instance, Cassini saw that icy material blasting from one of Saturn's moons, Enceladus, is where most of the material comes from to create the E ring. Discovering how each of these rings form and where they originated from would be a mind-blowing accomplishment for Cassini scientists. Additionally, the star Spica will be visible in Cassini's images of Saturn, showing how Spica will be occulted by Saturn's rings. By measuring how much light from the star is blocked by the ring's material, this occultation could provide an understanding of ring structure and thickness including information on the particle shapes, sizes, and interactions. But perhaps the most basic reason Cassini should study Saturn is to gather insight on Saturn's interior makeup since it remains shrouded in the obscurity the planet holds. Its core and its composition is a complete mystery. Astronomers believe it's made of metallic and liquid hydrogen, but there's no substantial proof to back this claim. If Cassini scientists could find a way to enter Saturn's core and learn more about it, then that information could help explain some of Saturn's peculiarities, such as its rapid speed of rotation and its warmth in the poles. Beneath its serene, beautiful exterior, Saturn is a book of secrets waiting for scientists to read page by page and unearth more about the cosmological activities in our universe, one discovery at a time. This makes Target 3, Saturn, my choice for scientific finding and breakthrough." |
