A recent study has unveiled a mysterious giant decagon, a 10-sided cloud pattern, at Saturn’s south pole, similar yet distinct from the well-known hexagon at its north pole. This decagon measures approximately 104,250 miles (167,820 kilometers) wide, with each side spanning about 10,425 miles (16,782 kilometers). The discovery was made through data captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, which revealed the southern hemisphere of Saturn to scientists for the first time in over a decade due to the planet’s axial tilt.
Agustin Sanchez-Lavega, the study’s lead author from the University of the Basque Country in Spain, remarked that the decagon’s existence indicates that Saturn’s hexagonal pattern is not unique. The decagon rotates every 800 days and has varying shades across its sides, indicating it might still be evolving.
Previous hypotheses suggested that the hexagon formed due to atmospheric jets causing disturbances in flow patterns. Sanchez-Lavega and his team’s computer simulations imply that similar mechanisms may have led to the creation of the decagon. They aim to explore how this decagon will change over time, particularly as solar radiation increases around its latitude in 2032.
The findings were published in the journal Science Advances on September 2.
