Saturn's Superstorm

Powerful effects of a record-setting storm on Saturn persist long after clouds fade.

Powerful disturbances in Saturn's upper atmosphere were revealed by studies at infrared wavelengths, where heat is sensed.

The storm spawned bright "beacons" of warmer-than-normal air. When two beacons merged, the temperature soared and an enormous vortex formed.

Three weeks after the storm erupted, it stretched 6,000 miles north to south and 11,000 miles east to west.

Crisscrossing winds sheared the storm clouds, and twelve weeks after the storm began, the clouds had wrapped around the entire planet.

If an equivalent storm took place on Earth, it would blanket most of North America top to bottom and circle the globe.

Cloud layers piled on top of one another can be seen in close-up views of the storm's front (upper left) and midsection (upper right).