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Old 05-July-2004, 09:50 AM
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Chip Chip is offline
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Default Re: Cassini & Lightning On Saturn-When Will The Search B

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Milton Banana
...when will the search begin for lightning on Saturn?...
On Cassini there is a device called the "RPWS" which is short for Radio and Plasma Wave Science.

In the 1980/81 flyby mission, Voyager detected violent radio outbursts that likely indicated super thunderbolts in the atmosphere of Saturn. Voyager was not equiped to track the thunder along the planet's rotation.

The RPWS on Cassini however has direction finding capability. The large radio bursts might then be tied to Saturn's gigantic thunderbolts through this equipment, if there is a connection.

You can read more about this in the July cover story from Sky & Telescope magazine.
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