Define Cynical Fan Forums

No, I'm serious.

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2007-034

I think it's hungry. And creepy.

Cassini Images Bizarre Hexagon on Saturn
March 27, 2007

Pasadena, Calif. -- An odd, six-sided, honeycomb-shaped feature circling the entire north pole of Saturn has captured the interest of scientists with NASA's Cassini mission.

"This is a very strange feature, lying in a precise geometric fashion with six nearly equally straight sides," said Kevin Baines, atmospheric expert and member of Cassini's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "We've never seen anything like this on any other planet. Indeed, Saturn's thick atmosphere where circularly-shaped waves and convective cells dominate is perhaps the last place you'd expect to see such a six-sided geometric figure, yet there it is."

...Freaky. I wonder how it's possible...

Looks like a glitch in god's programming. I say this proves the existence of a higher power and his computer.

Well, what's wrong with hexagons? Mathematically, they're the most efficient shape for tiling...

Who wants to bet there's another one?

It doesn't seem like a cloud system could form a hexagon, especially not a geostationary one. Maybe it's aliens...

I'm imagining the part of the "Chicken Little" movie where the sky is really just a bunch of alien ships disguised using hexagonal cloaking panels.

Maybe one of them fell and hit someone on the head?

Giant hexagons are eating Saturn...I read about that! That's pretty weird!

one would think that there might be another such shape in the clouds on the southern pole of saturn, however upon investigation there is none to be found. the only thing on the southern pole of saturn is what appears to be a giant hurricane.

as for how the shape can be made, I believe that it has to do with similar principles to those stated in the following paper found here: http://www.theflowingofthedao.com/wordpress/?p=1593

it's a little intensive on the math, but the process seems to me that it might work for varying densities of gas and atmosphere as well...

... ah, physics and astronomy, I love it.

one would think that there might be another such shape in the clouds on the southern pole of saturn, however upon investigation there is none to be found. the only thing on the southern pole of saturn is what appears to be a giant hurricane.

as for how the shape can be made, I believe that it has to do with similar principles to those stated in the following paper found here: http://www.theflowingofthedao.com/wordpress/?p=1593

it's a little intensive on the math, but the process seems to me that it might work for varying densities of gas and atmosphere as well...

... ah, physics and astronomy, I love it.

Freaky! Who would have thought?

Also, Physics FTW.

funny comic Khaz, lol.

Also, Physics FTW.

I <i>love</i> xkcd.

A couple friends of mine have been trying to get me reading that comic. I kept forgetting. Thanks for giving me a push.

I have no idea what that comic says...me and my feeble brain retire from life and head back to the retirement home of fart jokes and nob gags.

But the hexigon thing gives me a lovely idea for my new alien based story

Xkcd is an amazing comic. I finally managed to convince a friend to read it, because he was declining due to him only wanting to read "arty" comics, however the tides were turned when he discovered how much geek humour it was filled with

Call me strange, but I require a certain amount of drawing effort to get me to read a webcomic on a regular basis. Even "Dinosaur Comics" and "Partially Clips," as consistently funny as they are, remain off my agenda due to the cartoonists being concerned almost exclusively with the writing.

Call me strange, but I require a certain amount of drawing effort to get me to read a webcomic on a regular basis. Even "Dinosaur Comics" and "Partially Clips," as consistently funny as they are, remain off my agenda due to the cartoonists being concerned almost exclusively with the writing.

I think xkcd is an interesting comic, because just when you think the artist has no talent for visual art, he makes a beautiful landscape. It's always a pleasant surprise.