October 18, 1995
The universe has spent billions of years making things that shine. On your birthday, we celebrate one of its quieter masterpieces.
A Storm on Saturn
Birthday · October 18, 1995
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
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APOD published October 18, 1995. Full image credits are on the original APOD entry below. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
The white wisp shown on Saturn's cloud tops is actually a major storm system only discovered in December of 1994. Saturn's clouds are composed of primarily hydrogen and helium, but the storm's white clouds are actually ammonia ice crystals that have frozen upon upheaval to the top of the atmosphere. The storm may look small but has an extent similar to the diameter of the Earth. This picture is a color composite of several taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Saturn is the second largest planet in the Solar System and has the most elaborate ring system.