What was the biggest storm in our Solar System’s history?
![](https://develop.bigthink.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/1FXBOeUwiSIEFrRsD7jidrQ.png?w=480&h=270&crop=1)
It’s bigger than anything on Earth. Hell, it’s bigger than Earth!
“More days to come / new places to go
I’ve got to leave / it’s time for a show
Here I am / Rock you like a hurricane!” –The Scorpions
On Earth, hurricanes can span hundreds of miles, bringing devastation wherever they land.
![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/0*8ro74PKIoKhgEkDI.jpg)
But on our Solar System’s gas giants, storms can far surpass anything ever seen on Earth.
![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/0*tWjigxin5aXW5qix.png)
At Saturn’s north pole, inside the two-Earth-sized polar hexagon, a hurricane nearly 2000 kilometers wide rages, with wind speeds over 500 kilometers-per-hour (320 mph).
![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/0*QLLQzUKMq2VIgZWr.jpg)
On Jupiter, the great red spot, seen for over 350 years, could fit between 2-and-3 Earths inside of it, with winds exceeding 430 kph (267 mph).
![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/0*A1Qk1QhlqxBcvpTm.png)
But from December of 2010 to August of 2011, the largest storm of all occurred on Saturn.
![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/0*Cvq7VPWb2nZfCsTt.jpeg)
For over 200 days, this Saturnian hurricane raged, maintaining its head until May.
![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/0*1DtO8EnBeN5jidgE.jpeg)
It came to encircle the entire planet, as methane-poor tail end (in blue, false color) stands out against the methane-rich (in red) remainder.
![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/0*4E3tMBqbXOJcoqEY.png)
Viewed 11 hours (1 Saturn-day) apart, we determined the hurricane migrates across Saturn at 100 kph (60 mph).
![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*gijH4CBvkh2bVU97PKSkAw.jpeg)
![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*uy2IKS1ZY5kdm4ucDfa2YA.jpeg)
![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*ExCcVyMRMNObl2u6ApdS7Q.jpeg)
![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*4rKNqPCR6JYig-jB9HdRkA.jpeg)
![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*M0-tCGz3SjAPl8HyFuzeRw.jpeg)
![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*dkLuO8xgdMWGlBMwshya1A.jpeg)
These storms have occurred every 20–30 years since first seen in 1876, as hot air rises, cools and falls.
![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/0*8X2etWrrfU6Tn58J.jpeg)
2011′s was the largest of all, large enough to contain ten-to-twelve Earths, but may be surpassed next time: in the 2030s.
Mostly Mute Monday tells the story of a single astronomical phenomenon or object primarily in visuals, with no more than 200 words of text.
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