"Storm" on Saturn

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Gregg</i>
<br />If a planet were entering the solar system from the South, its interference in the gravitational flux could cause such a phenomenon.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">Not so. As Carl Sagan used to say (in connection with astrology, but applicable here as well), the gravitational influence of all the planets put together is less than that of the obstetrician in the delivery room.

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">If such an object were coming "straight in" there would be little apparent motion across the star field.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">Also not so. Searches for trans-Neptunian Objects rely on Earth's motion to make them appear to move relative to the background stars. Their own motions are too slow to enable efficient discovery.

My best guess is that the new "storm" was triggered by a recent impact. -|Tom|-

[/quote]Not so. As Carl Sagan used to say (in connection with astrology, but applicable here as well), the gravitational influence of all the planets put together is less than that of the obstetrician in the delivery room.
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<i>I think his statement implicitly assumes that planets are entirely normal matter. If planets have a nuclear core, then two planets approaching one another would cause a mutual void in the gravitational flux between them. We do not experience this on Earth.</i><s></s>


[/quote]Also not so. Searches for trans-Neptunian Objects rely on Earth's motion to make them appear to move relative to the background stars. Their own motions are too slow to enable efficient discovery.

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<i>No argument. But how many high powered telescopes on Earth can look straight South?</i><s></s>


My best guess is that the new "storm" was triggered by a recent impact. -|Tom|-

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<i>Your best guess trumps my speculation</i>


Gregg Wilson