NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope recently discovered a giant, evolving 10-sided atmospheric wave encircling Saturn’s South Pole. This structure, termed a “decagon”, marks the first observation of a large, regular-sided jet pattern in Saturn’s Southern Hemisphere, unlike the well-known hexagon in the Northern Hemisphere. The wave, which exists within one of Saturn’s powerful jet streams, extends through multiple layers of the planet’s atmosphere, indicating it is a significant atmospheric phenomenon.
The findings, part of Hubble’s Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program, reveal how this decagon is strengthening and evolving over time. Researchers analyzed Hubble images dating back to 2023 to track the decagon’s emergence.
The Hubble observations, enhanced by unmatched clarity and detail from space, confirmed characteristics previously unseen from Earth-based telescopes. Further investigations with Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope are planned to deepen the understanding of this intriguing atmospheric development.
