If only there was a Wikipedia article - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn's_hexagon?wprov=sfti…
WHY???
Submitted 1 day ago by NichEherVielleicht@feddit.org to science_memes@mander.xyz
https://feddit.org/pictrs/image/45ab0732-dd8c-4721-97d1-158cfee73a1c.jpeg
Comments
MarriedCavelady50@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 1 day ago
Tl;Dr
“Why is it a hexagon”
MarriedCavelady50@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
Atmosphere outside hexagon spins faster than atmosphere inside hexagon
cypherpunks@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
either that, or
veni_vedi_veni@lemmy.world 18 hours ago
They would never be so obvious
ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 20 hours ago
Because hexagon is bestagon!
Texas_Hangover@lemmy.radio 12 hours ago
Excelentagon.
ZoteTheMighty@lemmy.zip 1 day ago
It’s less weird when you realize it’s not a hexagon, it’s a sine wave in cylindrical coordinates. There are a lot of negative feedback loops such that a sine wave can turn into a standing wave. You just have to get a little lucky with a couple important things like your rossby number et voila, hexagon.
SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zone 22 hours ago
this.English()
hayvan@feddit.nl 22 hours ago
ameancow@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
Here’s a better visualization from Minute Physics idea how these “wave” patterns can make geometric shapes, using the fact that Earth’s moon doesn’t make a smooth circle around the sun.
ivanafterall@lemmy.world 22 hours ago
That doesn’t sound less weird.
y0kai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
TIL all the Civilization maps are on Saturn
ashenone@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
Only after civilization 3
gnutrino@programming.dev 1 day ago
*civ 4.
5 was the first one with a hex grid
panda_abyss@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
Which is still my favorite for some reason
KiwiTB@lemmy.world 1 day ago
4… But I assumed a typo
technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 hours ago
god playing settlers of catan here…
NichEherVielleicht@feddit.org 1 day ago
That makes sense…
antrosapien@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
Lazy rendering
LH0ezVT@sh.itjust.works 16 hours ago
I’d like to file a bug report, the texture wrapping is broken
ricecake@sh.itjust.works 13 hours ago
Based on what I recall of the explanation by the person who figured it out: spinning makes fluid near the edge spin faster than fluid near the middle. The difference in speed creates a wave. Since it’s finite and moving, the wave interferes with itself and because of math, makes a hexagon. Something about how the wave pattern changes density and brings different glasses to the surface on the planets.
Then they showed an example by spinning a bucket, and it kinda fell flat because they had to explain that a bucket isn’t a sphere so you have to spin it just right to get it to work, but it did work in the end.Icytrees@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
It’s bees.
g0d0fm15ch13f@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Its always bees
Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 18 hours ago
Unless it’s Bees.
RobotToaster@mander.xyz 1 day ago
That’s where all the 10mm sockets end up
Saapas@piefed.zip 22 hours ago
I was just thinking of popping out my hex set so I can pop open Saturn
ameancow@lemmy.world 15 hours ago
To better understand how nature doesn’t always make smooth circles out of circular patterns, this Minute Physics video does a banger job using the Earth’s moon as an example.
For saturn, you’re talking about storm patterns, but the concept is somewhat similar, which is that forces acting on objects (storms) can arrange circles into wave-like shapes.
gedaliyah@lemmy.world 1 day ago
TLDR That’s what happens when circles get squished together.
NotASharkInAManSuit@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Because Saturn is Catan.
MelodiousFunk@slrpnk.net 1 day ago
Base game got boring, I recommend the Ringfarers expansion.
Bleys@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Somewhat topically, Terraforming Mars clears
Bonus@mander.xyz 16 hours ago
Hexagons are just nature’s way of making arrays of triangles.
CheeseNoodle@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Because storms want to be circles but any given gas giants atmosphere is basically a series of nothing but storms and when you tile circles you get a hexagonal grid due to the spaces in between them?
lemming741@lemmy.world 15 hours ago
So it’s a soccer ball
naught101@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Standing wave. Earth kind of has one in the jet stream (3 peaks and troughs though, usually), but you can’t see it with visible light.
MyMindIsLikeAnOcean@piefed.world 1 day ago
Things like Hexagons and the golden spiral occurring in nature are interesting - but very well-travelled.
NichEherVielleicht@feddit.org 1 day ago
xxce2AAb@feddit.dk 1 day ago
Aguiar, Ana C. Barbosa, et al. “A laboratory model of Saturn’s North Polar Hexagon.” Icarus 206.2 (2010): 755-763.
Rhaedas@fedia.io 1 day ago
Get out of here with your real answers. 😜
I think the actual answer even with this source is, we sort of have some clues, but we have more questions too.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 1 day ago
What, you want to tighten the axis with a torx?
LH0ezVT@sh.itjust.works 16 hours ago
A T10^4
InvalidName2@lemmy.zip 1 day ago
It is because this is how these things do be. QED.
aeronmelon@lemmy.world 1 day ago
That’s actually the prevailing theory. A hexagonal shape is the path of least resistance for the wind patterns on Saturn. It probably is really that simple.
Dasus@lemmy.world 1 day ago
bestelbus22@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Classic application of the “it is what it is” lemma.
AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net 1 day ago
I feel like I just got goatsed by Saturn
LaLuzDelSol@lemmy.world 1 day ago
You get hexagons as well when you drill a countersink bit into plywood. Something something layers.
shalafi@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Did not know that so I looked on Google.
AI Overview That statement is incorrect. Drilling a countersink bit into plywood (or any wood) produces a smooth, conical hole, not a hexagonal one.
Followed by every article talking about why the bits make hexagons, with videos and pictures.
LaLuzDelSol@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Haha I love AI! We’re so close to AGI I swear bro!
Interesting, I’ve only had the hexagon thing happen to me in plywood, but it seems it can happen in regular wood as well.
DempstersBox@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Incredible.
When my drill bits are super, super dull, they make smooth triangles. Like triangular shaped holes, with no true points or flat edges. If I get crooked while laying on it and drilling (not uncommon with a dull-ass bit) two lobes will stand out more clearly than the side I’m not leaning towards.
Not hexagons, and sure as hell not cones.
Now if they’re sharp, it’s just a fucking hole. Circular. Like they’re supposed to be
Buy me new drill bits. for science
Ulvain@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
Because the fox made it into the henhouse.
Now all the hexagon.
Shaper@lemmy.world 1 day ago
This was the topic of an awesome old web comic strip, I believe it was from smbc. It was a debate of two where one would simply state the existence of the hexagon, with increasing amounts of slurs. Banger.
vala@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
Those are not slurs lol
avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
Because hexagons are the bestagons.
halvar@lemy.lol 1 day ago
the only answer i’ll ever need
Matty_r@programming.dev 1 day ago
Bestagons, Roll out!
wait…
Hupf@feddit.org 1 day ago
Image
RichardDegenne@lemmy.zip 1 day ago
SUPER BESTAGON
not_so_handsome_jack@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
BEGIN
Matriks404@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
!lemmygold