All language subtitles for Spaces.Deepest.Secrets.S06E03.Alien.Hell.Storms.720p.WEBRip.x264-CAFFEiNE[eztv]

♪

Narrator: THE GIANT PLANETS
JUPITER, SATURN,

URANUS, AND NEPTUNE
HAVE MEGASTORMS

ON A SCALE THAT DEFIES BELIEF --

HURRICANES LARGER
THAN ENTIRE WORLDS

AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT WOULD
LAY WASTE TO THE EARTH.

Oluseyi: WE THINK WE HAVE
STORMS ON EARTH.

COMPARE IT TO THE STORMS
ON THE GIANT PLANETS,

IT'S ON A WHOLE OTHER SCALE.

Narrator: NOW, ASTRONOMERS ARE
USING THESE EPIC STORMS

TO UNLOCK THE SECRETS

OF HOW GIANT PLANETS
ACROSS THE GALAXY MIGHT WORK.

Tremblay: GAS GIANTS REMAIN SOME
OF THE GREATEST MYSTERIES

OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,
BUT IF YOU CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND

THE WEATHER THAT HAPPENS
WITHIN THEM,

YOU CAN START TO UNLOCK
THEIR SECRETS.

Narrator:
A FLEET OF ADVANCED SPACE PROBES

IS HELPING ASTRONOMERS STUDY
THESE STORMS

IN UNPRECEDENTED DETAIL,

REVEALING ASTONISHING FORCES
AT WORK

DEEP WITHIN THE MOST MYSTERIOUS
PLANETS IN THE UNIVERSE.

Plait: WE HAVE LITERALLY

JUST SCRATCHED THE SURFACE
OF THESE PLANETS.

THERE'S SO MUCH TO LEARN
ABOUT THESE THINGS,

AND WE'RE JUST BARELY
GETTING STARTED.

Narrator: THE SECRETS OF
THE OUTER PLANETS ARE REVEALED

AS WE PLUNGE INTO THE HEART
OF SPACE'S MEGASTORMS.

♪

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

♪

IN COUNTLESS SOLAR SYSTEMS
THROUGHOUT THE GALAXY,

TWO TYPES OF PLANETS EXIST --

PLANETS MADE MOSTLY FROM ROCK,
LIKE THE EARTH,

AND GIANT PLANETS
MADE MOSTLY FROM GAS.

WE HAVE A PRETTY GOOD HANDLE
ON HOW ROCKY PLANETS WORK

BECAUSE WE LIVE
ON THE SURFACE OF ONE,

BUT THE GAS GIANT PLANETS
ARE A MYSTERY

BECAUSE THEY HIDE THEIR SECRETS

BELOW THICK,
IMPENETRABLE CLOUDS.

TO DECODE THEIR INNER WORKINGS,
ASTRONOMERS MUST FIRST UNLOCK

THE MYSTERIES OF THE GAS GIANTS
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

TO UNDERSTAND HOW ANY PLANET
IN THE UNIVERSE MIGHT WORK,

WE NEED TO FIRST UNDERSTAND
HOW OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM

AND HOW OUR OWN GAS GIANTS WORK,

AND SO THE ONLY WAY
THEY WE CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND

WHAT LIES BENEATH
THESE TOPMOST LAYERS

IS BY STUDYING THE STORMS
ON THE PLANET'S SURFACE.

Narrator:
CAN THESE MEGACYCLONES

SHED LIGHT
ON THE HIDDEN PROCESSES

THAT MAKE ALL
GAS GIANT PLANETS TICK?

ASTRONOMERS START WITH

THE CLOSET GAS GIANTS
TO THE EARTH --

SATURN AND JUPITER.

THESE PLANETS ARE
HUNDREDS OF TIMES MORE MASSIVE

THAN THE EARTH.

HYDROGEN AND HELIUM
FILL THEIR ATMOSPHERES,

WHICH ARE THOUSANDS
OF MILES THICK.

WHEN YOU COMPARE
THE EARTH AND JUPITER,

THEY ARE SO DIFFERENT.

IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE
THEY'RE BOTH CALLED PLANETS,

THEY'RE SO DIFFERENT,
AND OUR WEATHER IS DIFFERENT.

Narrator: PLANETARY SCIENTIST
AMY SIMON INVESTIGATES

THIS RADICALLY DIFFERENT
WEATHER.

CHASING EPIC STORMS ON PLANETS
OVER 400 MILLION MILES AWAY

IS NO SIMPLE TASK.

THE BIGGEST DIFFICULTY IN
STUDYING THESE DISTANT OBJECTS

IS THE FACT THAT WE CAN'T
MONITOR THEM ALL THE TIME,

SO IF WE LOOK AT JUPITER
ONCE A YEAR,

THAT'S EQUIVALENT TO LOOKING AT
THE EARTH WEATHER ONCE A MONTH

AND THEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT'S GOING ON

ON THE WHOLE PLANET.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS LIKE AMY
NOW HAVE A FLEET

OF ADVANCED SPACE PROBES
TO HELP --

JUNO AROUND JUPITER

AND CASSINI AROUND SATURN.

♪

SATURN'S WEIRD WEATHER IS
THE FIRST UNDER THE MICROSCOPE.

AS CASSINI PASSES OVER
ITS NORTH POLE,

THE SPACE PROBE SENDS BACK
AN ASTONISHING PICTURE

OF THIS STRANGE STORM.

IT'S UNLIKE ANYTHING SEEN
ON THE EARTH

AND TRACES OUT THE SHAPE
OF A PERFECT 6-SIDED HEXAGON.

ONE OF THE TRULY AMAZING THINGS
ABOUT BEING AN ASTRONOMER IS,

SOMETIMES YOU SEE THINGS
OUT THERE

THAT ARE COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED,

AND THE HEXAGON STORM ON SATURN
WAS JUST THAT.

YOU SEE THIS CLEAR HEXAGON
TURNING ALMOST AS A SOLID BODY

AT THE POLE OF SATURN,
AND THE FIRST TIME WE SAW THAT,

WE JUST LOOKED AT IT AND SAID,
"NO. THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE."

Narrator: HOW COULD

SUCH A PERFECTLY SYMMETRICAL
STORM FORM?

IT'S EASY TO ASSUME
THAT IT'S A ONE-OFF,

AN OUTRAGEOUS PLANETARY FLUKE.

BUT THEN IN 2017,

JUNO SENDS BACK AN IMAGE OF
JUPITER'S NORTH POLE.

THIS IS A PLACE NO ASTRONOMER
HAS SEEN BEFORE.

THE IMAGE REVEALS A SECOND
BIZARRE WEATHER SYSTEM --

THIS TIME AN 8-SIDED
OCTAGON SHAPE.

♪

THIS IS A GEOMETRIC STORM SYSTEM
ON A TRULY BREATHTAKING SCALE.

♪

EIGHT MEGACYCLONES
SWIRL AROUND A CENTRAL STORM.

WINDS RAGE WITHIN EACH STORM
AT ALMOST 200 MILES PER HOUR,

FASTER THAN
A CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE.

EACH VIOLENT MAELSTROM
IS ALMOST 2,500 MILES ACROSS,

STORMS THE SIZE
OF THE CONTINENTAL USA,

AND THEY GATHER AN INCREDIBLE
8-SIDED FLOWER

AROUND THE POLE.

Simon: ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING
THINGS WE'VE SEEN LATELY

IS ACTUALLY VERY CLOSE VIEWS
OF JUPITER'S POLES.

AT THIS POINT, WE'VE SEEN THIS
SAME PATTERN FOR ABOUT A YEAR,

SO IT DOES SEEM TO BE STABLE,
AND JUST BEING ABLE TO SEE THIS

ON A POLE IS SO MUCH DIFFERENT
THAN WHAT WE HAVE HERE ON EARTH.

Narrator: HOW CAN SUCH
SYMMETRICAL STORM SYSTEMS FORM,

THE HEXAGON ON SATURN
AND THE OCTAGON ON JUPITER?

AND WHAT CAN THEY REVEAL
ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON BELOW?

PHYSICIST PETER READ IS TRYING
TO FIND OUT.

HE BELIEVES THAT THE ROTATION
OF THE GIANT PLANETS

CREATES THE HEXAGON
AND OCTAGON STORMS.

TIGHTEN THAT UP THERE.

Narrator: TO TEST HIS THEORY,
PETER IS GOING TO TRY

AND MAKE HIS OWN
GEOMETRIC STORM IN HIS LAB.

UNLIKE THE EARTH, THE GAS GIANTS
HAVE NO SOLID SURFACE.

INSTEAD, THEY ARE SPINNING BALLS
MADE ALMOST ENTIRELY OF GAS

AND HIGH-PRESSURE LIQUID.

PETER USES A TANK OF
SPINNING WATER TO REPLICATE

JUPITER AND SATURN'S
ATMOSPHERES.

WHEN WE LOOK DOWN ON
THIS EXPERIMENT FROM ABOVE,

IT'S AS IF WE WERE SITTING OVER
THE NORTH POLE OF SATURN

AND ACTUALLY LOOKING DOWN,

SO THE WATER REPRESENTS
THE ATMOSPHERE.

THE CENTER OF THE TANK
REPRESENTS

THE POLE OF THE PLANET,
AND THE OUTER PART REPRESENTS

A LOWER-LATITUDE PART
OF THE ATMOSPHERE.

Narrator: TO TRY AND CREATE
A GEOMETRIC STORM,

PETER MAKES THE TANK ROTATE
IN THE SAME WAY

AS ONE OF THE GAS GIANTS.

THE CENTRAL DISK ROTATES SLOWLY,

FORCING THE WATER ABOVE IT
TO ROTATE SLOWER

THAN THE WATER
IN THE OUTER PART OF THE TANK.

THAT MIMICS THE GAS GIANTS WHERE
THE REST OF THE PLANET

ROTATES MUCH QUICKER THAN
THE POLES.

PETER BELIEVES THAT SECTIONS
OF THE ATMOSPHERE

ROTATING AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS
RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER

CREATE THE GEOMETRIC STORMS.

TO SEE IF HE'S RIGHT,

HE NEEDS TO TRACK
THE FLOW OF WATER IN THE TANK.

WHAT WE'RE NOW GOING TO DO IS,
WE'RE GOING TO INJECT SOME DYE,

AND WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE

WHAT KIND OF FLOW
WE'VE PRODUCED.

Narrator: WHERE
THE QUICK-FLOWING WATER

ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE TANK MEETS
THE SLOWER WATER AT THE CENTER,

SOMETHING ASTONISHING HAPPENS.

A STABLE EDGE FORMS THAT TRACES
OUT A GEOMETRIC SHAPE.

♪

WELL, YOU CAN ALREADY SEE
A STRUCTURE.

IT'S GOT CORNERS IN IT,

BUT IT LOOKS AS THOUGH
THIS HAS PRODUCED SOMETHING

MORE LIKE 5-SIDED FIGURE
RATHER THAN A 6-SIDED FIGURE.

IT'S ALWAYS A MATTER OF...
[ SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY ]

TO EXACTLY
WHICH PATTERN WILL EMERGE.

Narrator: THIS EXPERIMENTAL RUN
CREATES A 5-SIDED PENTAGON.

SUBTLE CHANGES OF THE EXACT
CONDITIONS

IN THE TANK DETERMINE
WHAT SHAPE FORMS.

BY CHANGING THE ROTATION
OF THE DISK,

WE CAN PRODUCE ANYTHING
FROM TRIANGLES, SQUARES,

PENTAGONS,

HEXAGONS,

OCTAGONS.

YOU NAME IT.

Narrator: IN SATURN'S CASE,

THE CONDITIONS GIVE RISE
TO A STUNNING 6-SIDED HEXAGON.

ON JUPITER, THEY CREATE
AN 8-SIDED OCTAGON,

AND IN THIS CASE,
EACH SIDE OF THE OCTAGON

HOLDS A GIANT STORM IN PLACE.

SO THE FLOW WOULD EFFECTIVELY
BE ACTING A LITTLE BIT

LIKE A KIND OF BARRIER

AGAINST WHICH THE CYCLONES
CAN BUMP UP AGAINST,

AND THEN ONCE THEY'VE TAKEN UP
THAT POSITION,

THEN THEY'RE BASICALLY HELD
IN AN EQUILIBRIUM,

AND THAT'S WHAT WE SEE.

Narrator: ALTHOUGH JUPITER
AND SATURN SEEM VERY DIFFERENT,

THESE INCREDIBLE STORMS REVEAL
THAT THE SAME FORCES

DRIVE THE WEATHER
ON BOTH PLANETS,

AND POTENTIALLY ON ALL OTHER
GAS GIANTS ACROSS THE COSMOS.

THERE IS ANOTHER MYSTERY

SURROUNDING THE STORMS
ON JUPITER.

ON THE EARTH, THE HEAT FROM
THE SUN DRIVES THE WEATHER,

BUT JUPITER IS MUCH FURTHER AWAY

AND ONLY GETS 4% OF THE HEAT
THAT FALLS ON THE EARTH.

WHAT DRIVES ITS EXTREME
WEATHER PATTERNS?

♪

♪

Narrator:
JUPITER IS A TRUE GIANT,

LARGE ENOUGH TO FIT
ALL THE OTHER PLANETS

IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM
WITHIN ITS VAST GLOBE,

YET WE KNOW VERY LITTLE

ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING
BENEATH ITS SWIRLING CLOUDS.

UNLOCKING ITS SECRETS
IS IMPORTANT

FOR OUR UNDERSTANDING
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM

AND ALIEN WORLDS
THAT ORBIT DISTANT STARS.

BUT WE NOW HAVE COUNTLESS
OBSERVATIONS OF GAS GIANTS

ORBITING OTHER STARS.

THEY'RE GIANT JUPITER-LIKE
PLANETS NOT LIKE EARTH,

AND SO WE NEED
TO BETTER UNDERSTAND

HOW PLANETS LIKE JUPITER
WORK IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND

HOW PLANETS BEYOND
OUR SOLAR SYSTEM WORK.

Narrator: ON THE EARTH,

WE KNOW THAT HEAT FROM THE SUN
DRIVES THE WEATHER

BY WARMING THE ATMOSPHERE
AND WATER ON THE SURFACE.

SO THE MOST FEROCIOUS STORMS
ARE FOUND

WHERE THERE IS
THE MOST SUNLIGHT.

Oluseyi: WEATHER ON EARTH IS
PRIMARILY DRIVEN BY SUNLIGHT,

AND WHERE THE GROUND
AND THE OCEANS ARE HOTTEST,

NEAR THE EQUATOR
AND JUST ABOVE AND JUST BELOW,

IS WHERE THE WEATHER GETS
REALLY SERIOUS.

WE GET HURRICANES,
AND OVER LAND, WE GET TORNADOES.

Narrator: BUT JUPITER ORBITS
AROUND 370 MILLION MILES

FURTHER AWAY FROM THE SUN,

SO IT RECEIVES LESS THAN
4% OF THE HEAT

THAT FALLS ON THE EARTH,

YET STORMS COVER
ALMOST ITS ENTIRE SURFACE.

WHAT DRIVES SUCH AN EXCESS
OF WEATHER ON JUPITER?

THE STORMS THEMSELVES PROVIDE
ANOTHER CLUE.

THE SPACE PROBE JUNO DETECTS
THAT THE VERY BOTTOM

OF THE STORMS
ARE WARMER THAN THE TOP.

HIDDEN INSIDE JUPITER
IS THE HEAT SOURCE

THAT POWERS
ITS PHENOMENAL WEATHER.

JUPITER'S CORE
IS A SEETHING FURNACE,

SIZZLING AT A FEROCIOUS
43,000 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

IT HEATS THE LAYERS OF GAS ABOVE

AND CREATES
TURBULENT SWIRLING PLUMES

THAT PUNCH THEIR WAY
UP TOWARDS JUPITER'S SURFACE...

...FORMING POWERFUL STORMS,
LIKE THE ONES HELD

IN THE PERFECT OCTAGON
AT THE NORTH POLE OF THE PLANET.

♪

WHEN YOU'RE FAR AWAY
FROM THE SUN

OUT BY JUPITER OR SATURN,

THE HEAT IS COMING FROM
THE INTERIOR OF THE PLANET.

IT'S ALMOST SORT OF LIKE
INSIDE-OUT WEATHER.

Narrator: TODAY, ASTRONOMERS USE
THE GAS GIANT'S EPIC WEATHER

TO SOLVE ONE OF THE MOST
ENDURING MYSTERIES --

IF THE SUN ISN'T HEATING
JUPITER'S ATMOSPHERE,

WHY IS ITS ATMOSPHERE SO HOT?

JUPITER'S UPPER ATMOSPHERE
SIZZLES

AT MORE THAN 700 DEGREES
FAHRENHEIT WARMER

THAN SCIENTISTS EXPECT,
AND NO ONE KNOWS WHY.

ASTRONOMER TOM STALLARD
HAS A SURPRISING THEORY.

HE BELIEVES
JUPITER'S LARGEST STORMS

MAY BE HEATING
THE ATMOSPHERE ABOVE THEM.

HE USES NASA'S INFRARED
TELESCOPE FACILITY HERE

ON THE SUMMIT OF MAUNA KEA,
ON HAWAII'S BIG ISLAND,

TO HUNT FOR THE EVIDENCE.

Stallard: IF WE CAN FIND NEW
SOURCES OF ENERGY OR THE WAYS

THAT THAT ENERGY IS MOVING
AROUND IN THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE,

IT MIGHT LEAD TO A RESOLUTION
FOR THIS MYSTERY

OF WHY THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE
OF JUPITER IS SO HOT.

Narrator: TOM USES THE TELESCOPE
TO LOOK FOR HEAT GIVEN OFF

BY JUPITER'S SEETHING STORMS.

ANYTHING HOT GIVES OFF
INFRARED LIGHT.

HUMANS CAN'T SEE THIS TYPE OF
LIGHT, BUT THIS TELESCOPE CAN.

THE DIFFICULTY IS
THAT EVERYTHING THAT IS HOT

GIVES OFF INFRARED LIGHT,
INCLUDING THE TELESCOPE.

Stallard: IF ANYTHING
IN THE TELESCOPE IS HOT,

WE'LL JUST SEE THE NOISE
FROM THE TELESCOPE,

SO EVERY NIGHT WE HAVE TO PUMP
THROUGH MORE LIQUID NITROGEN

TO KEEP
THE INSTRUMENTATION COLD.

♪

Narrator: WITH THE TELESCOPE
NICELY CHILLED,

TOM SEARCHES
FOR ANY HEAT PRODUCED

BY JUPITER'S INCREDIBLE WEATHER.

Stallard: SO HERE IT IS.
SO THIS IS JUPITER.

IT'S POSITIONED
PRETTY WELL RIGHT NOW,

SO WE'LL START TAKING DATA,

AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO MAP OUT
THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE OF JUPITER.

Narrator: IF JUPITER'S STORMS
ARE GENERATING HEAT,

AS TOM SUSPECTS,

THERE'S ONE OBVIOUS PLACE
TO START THE SEARCH.

Oluseyi:
THERE'S A LOT OF STORMS

IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
AT ALL TIMES,

BUT THERE'S ONE STORM
THAT'S THE KING OF STORMS,

AND THAT'S
JUPITER'S GREAT RED SPOT.

Narrator: IS THE SOLAR SYSTEM'S
LARGEST STORM,

THE GREAT RED SPOT,

SUPERHEATING
JUPITER'S ATMOSPHERE?

AND IF SO, HOW?

THE ANSWERS COULD HELP
ASTRONOMERS UNLOCK THE SECRETS

OF THE MYSTERIOUS
GAS-SHROUDED PLANETS.

♪

♪

Narrator: JUPITER'S GREAT RED
SPOT IS A PLANET-SIZED CYCLONE.

370 MILE PER HOUR WINDS
SHAKE THE STORM,

WHICH TOWERS NEARLY 5 MILES
ABOVE THE CLOUD LAYER.

TOM STALLARD WANTS TO KNOW IF
THIS INCREDIBLE WEATHER

IS SO POWERFUL THAT IT HEATS
THE ATMOSPHERE ABOVE IT.

Stallard: WE WANT TO GO TO
THE BIGGEST AND BADDEST STORMS,

AND THE GREAT RED SPOT

IS THE LARGEST STORM
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM,

SO IF IT'S HAPPENING FROM
ANYWHERE, IT'S HAPPENING THERE.

WE HAVE MEASUREMENTS
FROM POLE TO POLE,

BUT RIGHT ON TOP
OF THE GREAT RED SPOT,

IT'S SIGNIFICANTLY BRIGHTER,

AND IT'S BRIGHTER
BECAUSE IT'S HOTTER,

SO THAT'S SHOWING US DIRECTLY

THAT THE REGION
OF THE ATMOSPHERE

ABOVE THE GREAT RED SPOT
IS SUPERHEATED BY SOME PROCESS.

Narrator: TOM HAS COME UP
WITH AN EXTRAORDINARY THEORY.

HE THINKS THE SOUND OF THE STORM
HEATS THE ATMOSPHERE.

AND IT'S EFFECTIVELY
THAT HOWLING THAT YOU HEAR

IN THOSE TERRIBLE VIDEOS
OF HURRICANES

WHERE WE CAN HEAR
THAT TERRIBLE, EERIE HOWL.

Man: HOLY MACKEREL.

Narrator: TOM BELIEVES
THIS THUNDEROUS SOUND

HAS AN ASTONISHING EFFECT TO
THE VERY TOP OF THE ATMOSPHERE.

THE MOST VIOLENT AND LOUDEST
PART OF THE GREAT RED SPOT

IS WHERE THE GIANT STORM
BUTTS UP

AGAINST THE REST
OF JUPITER'S ATMOSPHERE.

OUT HERE, AT THE EDGE
OF THE STORM,

WINDS ARE AT THEIR FASTEST
AND MOST TURBULENT.

THEY SMASH INTO WINDS
OUTSIDE THE STORM.

THESE COLLISIONS CREATE POWERFUL
SOUND WAVES,

WHICH SPREAD UPWARDS.

AS THESE HIGH-ENERGY SOUND WAVES

REACH THE EDGE
OF THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE,

THEY BECOME UNSTABLE AND FINALLY
RELEASE THE ENERGY AS HEAT.

♪

THE GREAT RED SPOT IS NOT ENOUGH
TO EXPLAIN

ALL OF JUPITER'S EXTRA HEAT,

BUT THE PLANET'S OTHER STORMS
MAY LEND A HELPING HAND.

THE THING ABOUT JUPITER IS THAT
IT DOESN'T HAVE

JUST ONE CYCLONE.

THE GREAT RED SPOT IS
THE BIGGEST,

THE BADDEST,
AND THE MOST NOTICEABLE,

BUT THE SURFACE IS COVERED
WITH CYCLONES,

SO THE GREAT RED SPOT
IS HEATING THE ATMOSPHERE.

WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF ALL THESE
OTHER CYCLONES GOING ON?

Narrator:
IT'S AN INCREDIBLE DISCOVERY,

THE DEAFENING SOUND
OF JUPITER'S GREATEST STORMS

HEATING THE PLANET,

AND IT SHOWS THAT WEATHER
IS AN INTRINSIC PART

OF HOW THESE GIANT PLANETS WORK.

Tremblay: THIS OBSERVATION OF
THE GREAT RED SPOT ON JUPITER

OPENS A NEW WINDOW
INTO OUR UNDERSTANDING

OF HOW A SINGLE MASSIVE STORM
CAN AFFECT AN ENTIRE PLANET.

Narrator: THE WILD WEATHER
ON THE GAS GIANTS

EXPOSES THEIR INNER WORKINGS,

AND THE GREAT RED SPOT
MAY BE ABOUT

TO REVEAL MORE SECRETS
ABOUT JUPITER.

IT'S SET TO GO THROUGH

A PARTICULARLY SHOCKING
TRANSFORMATION.

ASTRONOMERS ARE WORRIED
THAT THE GREAT STORM

MAY BE ABOUT TO DIE.

Howett:
THE GREAT RED SPOT IS SO BIG,

WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SEE IT
FROM THE EARTH FOR A LONG TIME.

IT'S POSSIBLE, ACTUALLY,
OBSERVATIONS MADE IN THE 1600s

WERE VIEWING THE SAME SPOT.

Narrator: THE STORM HAS BEEN
OUR CONSTANT COMPANION

FOR NEARLY AS LONG
AS WE'VE HAD TELESCOPES,

BUT ASTRONOMER AMY SIMON

IS DETECTING ALARMING CHANGES
IN THE GREAT RED SPOT.

SHE STUDIES THE STORM
WITH THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE.

HUBBLE IS PARTICULARLY SPECIAL
TO US BECAUSE OF ITS LONGEVITY.

IT'S NOW BEEN IN ORBIT
FOR 28 YEARS,

SO WE CAN START
TO PIECE TOGETHER

THIS LONG-TERM PICTURE OF HOW
THE GREAT RED SPOT IS CHANGING.

Narrator: THESE HUBBLE IMAGES
REVEAL THAT THE GREAT RED SPOT

IS SHRINKING ALARMINGLY
AND CHANGING COLOR,

BECOMING MORE INTENSELY ORANGE.

NOW, AMY HAS DISCOVERED
A WORRYING NEW DEVELOPMENT

THAT COULD EXPLAIN
THE CHANGES

AND THREATEN
THE STORM'S EXISTENCE.

BY USING SPECIAL CAMERA FILTERS
ON HUBBLE,

WE'RE ABLE TO SEE
THAT THE GREAT RED SPOT

IS NOT ONLY GETTING SMALLER,
IT'S GETTING TALLER.

EACH YEAR, IT'S GETTING
HIGHER AND HIGHER.

♪

Narrator:
IT'S THIS CHANGE IN HEIGHT

THAT COULD ULTIMATELY
SEAL ITS FATE.

140 YEARS AGO,

THE GREAT RED SPOT WAS THREE
TIMES WIDER THAN THE EARTH.

TODAY, IT'S LESS THAN HALF
THAT SIZE,

AND IT'S GETTING SMALLER.

BUT AS ITS WAISTLINE SHRINKS,

IT'S STRETCHING UPWARDS,

STICKING UP HIGHER INTO
THE ATMOSPHERE,

WHERE SUNLIGHT BAKES IT
A DEEP ORANGE.

AS IT GROWS TALLER,
IT BEGINS TO ENCOUNTER WINDS

IN THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE.

THESE WINDS COULD TEAR
THE STORM APART.

THE GREAT RED SPOT COULD BE
DESTROYED FAR SOONER

THAN ANYONE THOUGHT.

IMAGINING JUPITER WITHOUT ITS
GREAT RED SPOT IS LIKE

IMAGINING SATURN
WITHOUT ITS RINGS.

THAT'S A DAMN SHAME.

♪

Narrator: BUT THE DEATH OF
THE GREAT RED SPOT

COULD ALSO REVEAL NEW SECRETS
ABOUT THE GIANT PLANET.

PLANETS ARE PLANETS.
THEY DO WHAT THEY DO.

THEY'RE DYNAMIC AND CHANGE
ALL THE TIME,

AND THAT'S REALLY
WHAT MAKES THEM INTERESTING.

SO ALTHOUGH ON A PERSONAL LEVEL
IT WOULD BE SAD,

IT WOULD BE FANTASTICALLY
INTERESTING FOR THE SCIENCE.

Howett: WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S
GONNA HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE.

MAYBE IT CONTINUES TO SHRINK
AND DIES AWAY.

MAYBE SOMETHING NEW COMES UP
AS A RESULT OF THAT,

OR MAYBE IT GROWS AGAIN.

I FEEL A BIT TORN.
ON THE ONE HAND,

SAD AT THE LOSS OF ANY ICON,
AND THIS ONE IN PARTICULAR,

BUT EXCITED TO SEE
WHAT WILL REPLACE IT.

Narrator:
EVEN WITHOUT THE GREAT RED SPOT,

JUPITER'S STORMS ARE BRASH,
BOLD, AND ALWAYS ON SHOW,

A WINDOW INTO WHAT IS
HAPPENING WITHIN THE PLANET.

BUT JUPITER'S NEIGHBOR SATURN
APPEARS TO BE VERY DIFFERENT.

SATURN LIES TWICE AS FAR
FROM THE SUN AS JUPITER,

OVER 600 MILLION MILES
AWAY FROM OUR STAR,

IN THE FROZEN
OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM.

AT FIRST GLANCE,
SATURN SEEMS INCREDIBLY CALM.

Thaller: COMPARED
TO A TURBULENT ATMOSPHERE

LIKE WE SEE
ON THE PLANET JUPITER,

SATURN IS VERY CALM,
VERY SERENE.

Narrator:
BUT ROUGHLY EVERY 30 YEARS,

SOMETHING ASTONISHING HAPPENS --

THE MOTHER OF ALL STORMS ERUPTS,
SEEMINGLY OUT OF NOWHERE.

IF YOU LOOK AT AN IMAGE
OF SATURN,

IT LOOKS REALLY SMOOTH

WITH THESE REALLY CLEAN BANDS
PAINTED AROUND THE PLANET,

BUT THEN, BAM!
THIS 30-YEAR STORM POPS UP,

AND IT'S AN INDICATION THAT
BENEATH THESE PRISTINE CLOUDS

IS CHAOS BELOW.

Narrator: WHAT CAUSES THESE
MASSIVE STORMS

TO RISE UP ON SATURN
JUST ONCE EVERY 30 YEARS?

♪

♪

Narrator: ASTRONOMERS ARE USING
THE WEATHER ON THE GIANT PLANETS

TO DISCOVER
THEIR HIDDEN SECRETS,

BUT FOR MOST OF THE TIME,

SATURN HAS VERY LITTLE WEATHER
ON SHOW

UNTIL SUDDENLY,
EVERY 30 YEARS OR SO,

A GIANT STORM BREAKS OUT
IN THE CLOUD TOPS.

EVERYTHING CHANGES
AT THAT MOMENT,

AND STORMS BUBBLE UP
FROM DEEP INSIDE THE ATMOSPHERE

AND STREAM ALL THE WAY AROUND
THE GIANT PLANET.

Narrator:
RECENTLY, ASTRONOMERS SPOTTED

ONE OF SATURN'S
INCREDIBLY RARE STORMS.

A TOWERING THUNDERHEAD ERUPTS
UNDER THE SURFACE OF THE PLANET,

WIDER THAN THE EARTH
AND MORE THAN 150 MILES HIGH.

WITHIN ITS BRIGHT WHITE CLOUDS,

WINDS HOWL AT MORE THAN
370 MILES PER HOUR.

DEEP IN THE CLOUDS, BRILLIANT
BLUE LIGHTNING CRACKLES,

EACH STRIKE 10,000 TIMES MORE
POWERFUL THAN THOSE ON EARTH.

THE THUNDERHEAD SENDS CLOUDS
STREAMING OUT OVER 60,000 MILES

AS THE STORM RAGES
FOR MORE THAN 6 MONTHS.

WHAT CAUSES THESE GIANT STORMS
TO ERUPT SEEMINGLY

OUT OF NOWHERE,
AND WHAT SECRETS CAN THEY REVEAL

ABOUT SATURN'S
INTERNAL STRUCTURE?

THE FIRST CLUE IS THAT SATURN
MAY NOT BE AS CALM

AS IT INITIALLY LOOKS.

ATMOSPHERIC SCIENTIST
SARAH HORST

THINKS SATURN'S STORMS
ACTUALLY RAGE 365 DAYS A YEAR,

BUT THEY'RE NORMALLY
HIDDEN FROM VIEW.

SHE'S CONVINCED THAT A BLANKET
OF TINY SOLID PARTICLES,

A HAZE LAYER,
WRAPS AROUND SATURN,

BLOCKING OUR VIEW
OF THE RAGING STORMS BELOW.

Horst: WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS THAT
THE HAZE PARTICLES

DON'T LET US SEE AS DEEP DOWN
IN SATURN'S ATMOSPHERE

AS WE CAN IN
JUPITER'S ATMOSPHERE.

Narrator: WHERE DO
THESE PARTICLES COME FROM?

SARAH BELIEVES SUNLIGHT CREATES
THE HAZE LAYER

AT THE VERY TOP
OF SATURN'S ATMOSPHERE.

TO TEST HER THEORY,

SHE NEEDS TO MAKE
A SAMPLE OF THE PLANET'S CLOUDS.

Horst: IN THE SATURN ATMOSPHERE
EXPERIMENT THAT WE'RE RUNNING,

YOU MIX TOGETHER HYDROGEN,

WHICH IS THE MAIN CONSTITUENT
IN SATURN'S ATMOSPHERE,

AND HELIUM, WHICH IS THE SECOND
MOST ABUNDANT MOLECULE,

WITH A LITTLE BIT OF METHANE
AND A LITTLE BIT OF AMMONIA.

Narrator: THE GASES MIX
IN A VACUUM CHAMBER.

SARAH THINKS THAT SUNLIGHT
BREAKS APART THESE GASES,

WHICH THEN REFORM
AS TINY SOLID HAZE PARTICLES.

TO TEST THAT, SHE NEEDS
A SOURCE OF ENERGY

TO MIMIC THE EFFECT OF THE SUN.

I CAN'T PUT A STAR IN MY LAB
AS MUCH AS I WOULD LIKE TO,

SO INSTEAD, WE HAVE TO
KIND OF FAKE IT.

THE PLASMA THAT WE'RE USING
IS SIMILAR TO

THE MOST ENERGETIC PHOTONS
THAT COME FROM THE SUN.

Narrator: HAS SARAH TRANSFORMED
SATURN'S GASSY ATMOSPHERE

INTO A SOLID HAZE?

SO IF WE USE THIS FLASHLIGHT,
WE CAN LOOK INSIDE AND SEE,

AND IT TURNS OUT WE ALREADY HAVE
A BUNCH OF BROWN MATERIAL

THAT HAS STARTED TO COLLECT
ON THE WALLS OF THE CHAMBER.

Narrator: THE BACK
OF THE CHAMBER IS COVERED

WITH A DARK BROWN SLUDGE.

SARAH REMOVES THE SLUDGE
FROM THE VACUUM CHAMBER.

IT'S THIS SUBSTANCE THAT SARAH
THINKS FORMS A BLANKET

AROUND THE TOP OF
SATURN'S ATMOSPHERE.

TO COMPLETE HER EXPERIMENT,
SARAH HAS TO PROVE

THAT THESE PARTICLES CAN BLOCK
OUR VIEW OF SATURN'S STORMS.

SO SHE EXAMINES
WHAT HAPPENS TO LIGHT

WHEN IT SHINES THROUGH
THE PARTICLES.

ACTUALLY, THERE'S A HUGE RANGE
OF SUNLIGHT

THAT IS JUST NOT GETTING THROUGH
THE HAZE PARTICLES.

Narrator: THE RESULTS SHOW
HOW THE HAZE LAYER ABSORBS

AND SCATTERS MOST LIGHT,

MAKING IT DIFFICULT
TO SEE THE PLANET BELOW.

BUT THE SPACE PROBE CASSINI'S
INFRARED CAMERAS

CAN SEE THROUGH THIS HAZE.

IT CAPTURES THESE AMAZING IMAGES

THAT PROVE THAT STORMS
CRISSCROSS SATURN.

IT'S NOT THAT SATURN
DOESN'T HAVE ALL THESE FEATURES.

IT'S THAT SATURN HAS
A HAZE LAYER

THAT BLOCKS OUR VIEW OF THEM.

SO SATURN IS RAGING
LIKE JUPITER IS.

WE JUST DON'T SEE IT.

♪

Narrator: WHAT MAKES THESE
PLANET-SIZED THUNDERSTORMS

SUDDENLY THRUST UPWARD
ALMOST 100 MILES,

PUNCHING THROUGH THE VERY TOP
OF THE HAZE LAYER?

♪

ASTRONOMER BRIGETTE HESMAN
USES THE CASSINI SPACE PROBE

TO TRY AND UNLOCK THE MYSTERY
OF THE 30-YEAR STORMS.

Hesman: WHEN WE LAUNCHED
CASSINI, WE HAD NO PLANS

THAT WE WOULD EVER BE ABLE
TO STUDY ONE OF THESE STORMS,

BECAUSE THE LAST STORM
THAT WE SAW ON SATURN

WAS IN THE 1990s,

WHICH PREDICTED
THAT THE NEXT STORM

WE WOULD SEE WOULD BE
IN THE 2020s,

AND CASSINI WOULD BE LONG GONE
BEFORE THEN.

Narrator: BUT CASSINI IS
IN THE RIGHT PLACE

AT THE RIGHT TIME

WHEN THE NEXT GIANT STORM
STRIKES EARLY.

♪

BRIGETTE AND THE TEAM SCRAMBLE
TO GATHER AS MUCH DATA

AS THEY CAN FROM
THIS RARE OPPORTUNITY.

TODAY, SHE WORKS
WITH SOUND ENGINEER ED TATRO

TO INVESTIGATE ONE PARTICULAR
PIECE OF DATA FROM CASSINI.

[ CRACKLING SOUNDS ]

Hesman: THIS IS THE SOUND
OF CRACKLING FROM SATURN,

AND IT'S ACTUALLY
THUNDER AND LIGHTNING

IN THE WATER CLOUDS.

[ THUNDERCLAP ]

Narrator: THIS CRACKLING IS FROM
THE BLUE LIGHTNING

WITHIN THE GIANT STORM.

[ CRACKLING SOUNDS CONTINUE ]

CASSINI CAPTURES THE LIGHTNING
AS BURSTS OF RADIO WAVES.

THE SHEER POWER OF THE STORM
IS BREATHTAKING.

SLOWED DOWN, IT'S POSSIBLE
TO HEAR INDIVIDUAL BURSTS

FROM THE STORM.

[ CRACKLING SOUNDS CONTINUE ]

10 GIANT BOLTS OF LIGHTNING
STRIKE EVERY SECOND.

EACH STRIKE IS 10,000 TIMES MORE
POWERFUL THAN ANY HERE ON EARTH.

IT'S ONE OF THE MOST
FEROCIOUS STORMS

EVER RECORDED
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

THE STORM RAGES FOR 6 MONTHS,

RELEASING A DEVASTATING AMOUNT
OF ENERGY.

Hesman: THINK ABOUT THE WORST
THUNDER OR LIGHTNING STORM

THAT YOU'VE EVER BEEN IN
ON PLANET EARTH.

YOU CAN HEAR THE THUNDER
AND LIGHTNING CLAPS,

AND MULTIPLY THAT BY A FACTOR
OF 10,000 TIMES,

AND IMAGINE HOW YOU WOULD FEEL
THAT YOU HAD

NOWHERE YOU COULD GO
THAT WOULD BE SAFE.

WE'D HAVE NOTHING LEFT
ON OUR PLANET.

Narrator: BRIGETTE THINKS
THESE FEROCIOUS 30-YEAR STORMS

REVEAL THERE MAY BE
SOMETHING VERY UNUSUAL

ABOUT SATURN'S
INTERNAL STRUCTURE.

THE STORMS BEHAVE LIKE
A PRESSURE VALVE

TO SUDDENLY RELEASE ENERGY
BOTTLED UP INSIDE THE PLANET.

SATURN IS KIND
OF LIKE A VOLCANO.

THE PRESSURE BUILDS AND BUILDS
AND BUILDS AND BUILDS,

AND THEN
IT EXPLODES SPECTACULARLY

INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.

Narrator: HIDING BENEATH
SATURN'S HAZE LAYER...

...IS THE PLANET'S
CHURNING ATMOSPHERE.

HEAT FROM THE CORE WARMS

THE LOWER LEVELS
OF THIS STORM LAYER.

THE HOT GASES CAN'T RISE UP
TO THE SURFACE,

SO ENERGY BUILDS UP
UNTIL EVENTUALLY IT ERUPTS,

SENDING THUNDERCLOUDS RACING
UPWARDS ALMOST 100 MILES,

PUNCHING THROUGH THE HAZE LAYER

AND BURSTING OUT
ONTO THE SURFACE,

RELEASING 30 YEARS OF
PENT-UP ENERGY

IN A SINGLE VIOLENT BURST.

♪

STUDYING THESE EPIC WEATHER
EVENTS IS REVOLUTIONIZING

OUR UNDERSTANDING
OF THE GIANT PLANETS,

KNOWLEDGE WE COULD APPLY
TO THE NEW WORLDS

DISCOVERED OUTSIDE
OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

EVERY STORM THAT WE OBSERVE
GIVES US A CLUE

ABOUT HOW THAT PLANET WORKS,

AND EACH PLANET
WORKS DIFFERENTLY.

Narrator: MANY MYSTERIES
REMAIN UNSOLVED.

WHAT WEIRD AND WONDERFUL WEATHER
LURKS EVEN FURTHER OUT

IN THE REALM OF THE ICE GIANTS
URANUS AND NEPTUNE?

AND ON NEPTUNE,
ARE GIANT DIAMONDS

CAUSING THE STRONGEST WINDS
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM?

♪

♪

Narrator: FAR OUT BEYOND
THE GAS GIANT PLANETS

LIES THE FROZEN OUTER REALM
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM,

THE LAYER OF THE ICE GIANTS
URANUS AND NEPTUNE.

TO ME, SOME OF
THE MOST AMAZING MYSTERIES

STILL LEFT IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM
HAVE TO BE URANUS AND NEPTUNE,

THE ICE GIANTS.

Narrator: VOYAGER 2
IS THE ONLY SPACECRAFT

TO EVER VISIT
THESE DISTANT PLANETS,

FLASHING PAST IN THE LATE 1980s.

IT SENDS BACK ASTONISHING IMAGES
OF THE ICE GIANTS.

ASTRONOMERS EXPECT THERE TO BE
LITTLE WEATHER ON SHOW.

Thaller: IT IS
VERY, VERY COLD OUT THERE.

YOU WOULD THINK THE WEATHER
WOULD BE VERY CALM.

THERE'S NO CONVECTION,

THERE'S NO HEAT, NO ENERGY,
REALLY, TO GET ANYTHING GOING.

Narrator: THESE VOYAGER IMAGES
OF URANUS DO INDEED

SEEM TO SHOW A FRIGID WORLD
WITH NO WEATHER,

BUT NEPTUNE SHOCKS EVERYONE.

VOYAGER SEES A GIANT STORM
RAGING ON ITS SURFACE

AND WINDS TEARING
THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE

AT OVER 1,000 MILES PER HOUR.

IF YOU WERE TO GUESS,

YOU WOULD THINK IT WOULD BE
A VERY CALM PLACE.

BUT IN FACT, NEPTUNE HAS
THE FASTEST SPEED WINDS

IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

Narrator: WHAT DRIVES THESE
INCREDIBLE WINDS?

AND WHAT SECRETS CAN THEY REVEAL
ABOUT THE INNER WORKINGS

OF THE MOST DISTANT PLANET
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM?

ASTROPHYSICIST DOMINIK KRAUS
BELIEVES THAT NEPTUNE'S WINDS

ARE A TANTALIZING CLUE
TO AN ASTONISHING PROCESS

HAPPENING DEEP WITHIN
THE PLANET,

A COSMIC ALCHEMY

THAT IS TRANSFORMING
NEPTUNE'S ATMOSPHERE

INTO A PRECIOUS MINERAL,
WHICH CREATES EXTRA HEAT.

THE KEY MAY LIE INSIDE NEPTUNE,

SO THEY ARE
VERY EXOTIC CONDITIONS,

WHICH MAY DRIVE SOME
REALLY INTERESTING CHEMISTRY.

Narrator: TO TEST HIS THEORY,
DOMINIK COMES

TO THE NATIONAL ACCELERATOR
LABORATORY IN CALIFORNIA.

HERE, HE'LL USE POWERFUL LASERS
TO RECREATE CONDITIONS

IN THE DEPTHS
OF NEPTUNE'S ATMOSPHERE.

Kraus: DEEP INSIDE
THESE PLANETS,

WE HAVE VERY HIGH PRESSURES
AND ALSO VERY HIGH TEMPERATURES

WITH PRESSURES LIKE
5 MILLION TIMES

OR EVEN 8 MILLION TIMES
THE ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE

WE HAVE HERE IN EARTH.

Narrator: DOMINIK BELIEVES
THIS INTENSE HEAT AND PRESSURE

TRANSFORMS THE ATMOSPHERE
INTO DIAMONDS.

THESE DIAMONDS THEN INTERACT
WITH NEPTUNE'S ATMOSPHERE,

CREATING HEAT THAT HELPS DRIVE
THE PLANET'S CRAZY WINDS.

TO SIMULATE NEPTUNE'S CARBON
AND HYDROGEN-RICH ATMOSPHERE,

HE USES A SURPRISING STAND-IN.

Kraus: THIS IS A VERY SIMPLE
SAMPLE THAT WE USE.

IT'S JUST PIECE OF PLASTIC,
SO IT'S POLYSTYRENE,

SO THIS IS CARBON AND HYDROGEN

AND NOTHING ELSE,
AS YOU FIND INSIDE NEPTUNE.

Narrator: IT MAY SOUND STRANGE,
BUT PLASTIC IS

THE PERFECT SUBSTITUTE
FOR NEPTUNE'S ATMOSPHERE.

DOMINIK PLACES A TINY SAMPLE
OF THE PLASTIC

INSIDE A GIANT REACTION CHAMBER.

Kraus: AND YOU SEE
THE GREEN BRIGHT SPOT.

WE PUT OUR SAMPLE HERE.

Narrator: WITHIN THE CHAMBER,
POWERFUL LASER BEAMS

WILL RECREATE THE INTENSE
PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE

FOUND DEEP WITHIN NEPTUNE.

TO MONITOR WHAT HAPPENS
TO THE PLASTIC

DURING THE EXPERIMENT,

DOMINIK WILL EXPOSE THE SAMPLE
TO A BEAM OF X-RAYS.

THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE
OF THE PLASTIC

SCATTERS THE X-RAYS
IN A PARTICULAR WAY.

IT CREATES AN IMAGE

WITH DISTINCT BANDS OF LIGHT
ACROSS IT.

IF HIS THEORY IS RIGHT,

AND THE PLASTIC DOES TURN
TO DIAMOND,

THIS PATTERN SHOULD CHANGE.

THREE...

TWO...

ONE.

[ BEEP, WHIRS ]

Narrator: THE EXACT MOMENT
THE LASER FIRES...

[ BEEP, WHIRS ]

...THE X-RAY PATTERN CHANGES.

IT'S A PHENOMENAL RESULT.

NOW WE DID NOT EXPECT THIS
TO HAPPEN,

AND THIS CLARITY HERE, THAT YOU
CAN REALLY SEE THIS RING

THAT SHARPLY IS REALLY STUNNING.

SO THIS RING IS A REFLECTION

FROM THE CRYSTAL PLANES
IN THE DIAMOND,

SO IT HAS A UNIQUELY
IDENTIFIED DIAMOND

AS THE CRYSTAL STRUCTURE.

Narrator:
PRESSURE TRANSFORMS THE PLASTIC,

CRUSHING THE CARBON TOGETHER...

[ BEEP, WHIR ]
...TO FORM DIAMOND.

♪

DOMINIK'S EXPERIMENT PROVES

THAT DIAMONDS CAN FORM
WITHIN NEPTUNE.

BUT HOW DO THOSE DIAMONDS
GENERATE HEAT AND ENERGY

TO FUEL THE PLANET'S
FEROCIOUS STORMS?

♪

♪

Narrator: AT THE NATIONAL
ACCELERATOR LABORATORY

IN CALIFORNIA,

ASTROPHYSICIST DOMINIK KRAUS
RECREATES THE CONDITIONS

DEEP INSIDE
NEPTUNE'S ATMOSPHERE.

HE IS CONVINCED
NEPTUNE'S CARBON-RICH ATMOSPHERE

CREATES DIAMONDS
ON AN INDUSTRIAL SCALE.

BUT HOW DO THEY FUEL
THE PLANET'S FEROCIOUS STORMS?

MORE THAN 6,000 MILES
BELOW NEPTUNE'S SURFACE STORMS,

WITHIN AN OCEAN OF WATER
AND CARBON-RICH SLUSH,

HUMAN-SIZED DIAMONDS
SPONTANEOUSLY FORM.

♪

THEY GENERATE HEAT
THROUGH FRICTION

AS THEY PLUMMET DOWN
THROUGH THE OCEAN...

♪

...BEFORE COLLIDING WITH
THE PLANET'S CORE

AND RELEASING YET MORE ENERGY.

♪

ALL THAT COMBINED HEAT

COULD HELP SUPERCHARGE
NEPTUNE'S WINDS AND WEATHER.

THESE DIAMONDS COULD BE
GENERATING HEAT,

ENERGY THAT THEN RISES
TO THE SURFACE

AND HELPS POWER
THE WEATHER THERE.

Narrator: DIAMOND RAIN

CREATING EPIC WEATHER --

IT SOUNDS LIKE
AN EXTRAORDINARY CONCEPT.

BUT DIAMOND RAIN MAY BE
INCREDIBLY COMMON,

FALLING IN HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS
OF FROZEN WORLDS

ACROSS THE GALAXY.

Kraus:
PLANETS LIKE ICE GIANTS

ARE VERY COMMON
IN OUR MILKY WAY GALAXY.

WE SEE MORE AND MORE
OF THESE PLANETS APPEARING,

SO IT'S VERY INTERESTING
TO UNDERSTAND

HOW THESE PLANETS ARE FORMING,
HOW THEY FUNCTION ON THE INSIDE

BECAUSE THEY'RE SO COMMON.

♪

Narrator: DOMINIK'S LAB-BASED
EXPERIMENTS ARE CRUCIAL,

AS IT WILL BE MANY YEARS

BEFORE ANY SPACE PROBE REACHES
URANUS OR NEPTUNE.

Tremblay: IT'S ABOUT
A 5-YEAR CRUISE

FOR OUR FASTEST SPACECRAFT
TO GET TO JUPITER

AND MUCH, MUCH LONGER THAN THAT
TO GET TO NEPTUNE,

AND SO THESE ARE
REALLY GRAND ADVENTURES

THAT WE HAVE TO UNDERTAKE
IN ORDER TO VOYAGE

TO THESE SYSTEMS
AND BETTER UNDERSTAND THEM

FROM A CLOSE-UP VIEW.

Narrator: BEFORE THEN,
ASTRONOMERS WILL GET

A CLOSER LOOK
AT THESE DISTANT STORMS

THANKS TO
THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE.

THE JAMES WEBB
IS THE SUCCESSOR TO HUBBLE,

AND FOR BRIGETTE HESMAN,

THE TELESCOPE PROMISES
TO OPEN UP

ONE OF THE LEAST EXPLORED
REGIONS OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

Hesman: URANUS AND NEPTUNE
ARE OUR OBJECTS

THAT REALLY HAVEN'T
HAD SPACECRAFT

THAT ARE DEDICATED
TO OBSERVATIONS OF THEM.

JAMES WEBB IS
A VERY LARGE TELESCOPE,

AND BECAUSE OF THAT, WE WILL BE
ABLE TO OBSERVE THESE OBJECTS

IN WAY THAT
WE'VE NEVER DONE BEFORE.

Narrator:
BRIGETTE HOPES THIS NEW INSIGHT

WILL HELP ANSWER
THE MANY MYSTERIES

THAT STILL SURROUND
THESE DISTANT PLANETS.

Hesman: WE STILL
HAVE TO UNDERSTAND

HOW WEATHER WORKS ON THEM.

WE DON'T UNDERSTAND ALL
THE LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE.

WE DON'T HAVE
A GOOD UNDERSTANDING

OF THE WIND PATTERNS
ON THESE OBJECTS.

THERE'S A LOT LEFT TO UNLOCK.

Narrator:
AS WE CONTINUE TO EXPLORE

THE FAR REACHES
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM,

WE DISCOVER EVERMORE
EXTRAORDINARY WEATHER,

PHENOMENA THAT ARE SHOCKING
IN THEIR SCALE,

FEROCITY, AND STRANGENESS.

Plait: THE SOLAR SYSTEM
IS SO VARIED, SO DIVERSE --

GIGANTIC STORMS ON JUPITER,

CLUSTERS OF CYCLONES
AT BOTH POLES,

A WEIRD HEXAGON
ON SATURN'S POLE,

GIGANTIC STORMS THAT ERUPT OUT

AND THEN WRAP ALL THE WAY
AROUND THE PLANET,

NEPTUNE WITH
ITS INCREDIBLE WINDS.

I DON'T EXPECT THE OUTER PLANETS
TO LOOK LIKE THE EARTH,

BUT THEY'RE SO DIFFERENT.

Narrator:
EACH STRANGE STORM WE DISCOVER

TRANSFORMS OUR UNDERSTANDING
OF THESE GIANT PLANETS.

EVERY TIME WE LOOK,
WE'RE SURPRISED.

WE SEE SOMETHING DIFFERENT,
SOMETHING UNEXPECTED.

SOMETHING CHANGES SUDDENLY THAT
WE JUST COULDN'T HAVE PREDICTED.

Thaller: THERE ARE GIANT PLANETS
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

THAT WE'VE NEVER REALLY BEEN TO.

WHAT MYSTERIES ARE THERE THAT
WE HAVEN'T EVEN IMAGINED YET?

Narrator: WE HAVE BARELY
SCRATCHED THE SURFACE

OF WHAT THESE INCREDIBLE STORMS
AND WILD WEATHER CAN REVEAL.

THE ONLY THING WE KNOW FOR SURE

IS THAT THERE ARE
MORE SURPRISES TO COME.

♪