A huge storm dominates the rather featureless surface of Saturn in an image taken by the Cassini spacecraft on Feb. 25, 2011, about 12 weeks after the powerful storm was first detected in the planet's northern hemisphere. The megastorm is seen overtaking itself as it encircles the entire planet. Astronomers have found deep in the atmosphere the aftereffects of megastorms that occurred hundreds of years ago. The dark stripes are the shadows of Saturn's rings.
NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
A new study conducted by astronomers from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, shows that Saturn has long-lasting megastorms with impacts deep in the atmosphere that persist for centuries.