NASA's Hubble Tracks New Decagon Encircling Saturn’s South Pole
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has identified a 10-sided atmospheric wave, or 'decagon,' encircling Saturn's south pole. This discovery provides scientists with a rare opportunity to observe the development of a major atmospheric pattern in real-time.
Why it matters
Understanding planetary atmospheric phenomena helps scientists refine models of fluid dynamics and weather patterns on gas giants.
Recent NASA Hubble Space Telescope images show the gas giant Saturn and its southern pole, where astronomers have discovered a 10-sided atmospheric wave. Observations show the decagon extends through multiple layers of Saturn’s atmosphere.
A single filter from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope distinctly shows a 10-sided wave encircling Saturn’s south pole, labeled decagon. An “X” denotes where data was not captured.
Newswise — Recent observations with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have revealed a giant, evolving, 10-sided atmospheric wave encircling Saturn's south pole. This discovery marks the first time a large, regular-sided jet pattern has been observed in the planet's southern hemisphere. The feature appears remarkably similar to Saturn's famous hexagon at its northern pole , but is also distinctly different, suggesting scientists may be witnessing a new atmospheric phenomenon develop on the iconic gas giant.
The results published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.
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