This is a drawing depicting the motions in earth's atmosphere. Click on image for full size version (117K JPG) Image from: Random House Atlas

Motions in the interior of a planet help carry heat from the inside to the outside.

The drawing to the left illustrates a kind of global motion that is typical of motions in the atmosphere as well as interior of a planet. Material rises from where it is warmest, and moves in a roiling motion like the boiling of a pot. In the drawing, there are three different cells of activity in the atmosphere where the air turns over (depicted by red sheets).

In the interior of Saturn, the liquid layers are warm enough to move in this fashion. Some scientists think, however, that the heat from within Saturn causes different sorts of motions.

In any case, the enormous magnetosphere of Saturn is produced by motions in the liquid metallic hydrogen layer inside Saturn.

This is a drawing depicting the motions in earth's atmosphere. Click on image for full size version (117K JPG) Image from: Random House Atlas

Motions in the interior of a planet help carry heat from the inside to the outside.

The drawing to the left illustrates a kind of global motion that is typical of motions in the atmosphere as well as interior of a planet. Material rises from where it is warmest, and moves in a roiling motion like the boiling of a pot. In the drawing, there are three different cells of activity in the atmosphere where the air turns over (depicted by red sheets).

In the interior of Saturn, the liquid layers are warm enough to move in this fashion. Some scientists think, however, that the heat from within Saturn causes different sorts of motions.

In any case, the enormous magnetosphere of Saturn is produced by motions in the liquid metallic hydrogen layer inside Saturn.

This is a drawing showing the earth's atmosphere going around. Click on image for full size version (117K JPG) Image from: Random House Atlas

Motions in the interior of a planet help carry heat from the inside to the outside of the planet.

The drawing shows a kind of movement that is usual in the atmosphere as well as the inside of a planet. Material moves the way water does in a pot that is boiling. In the drawing, there are three different red sheets of activity where the air is turning over.

In the interior of Saturn, the liquid layers are warm enough to move this way. Motions like this in the liquid metallic hydrogen layer inside Saturn cause the big magnetosphere of Saturn.