Topic: Research News
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a giant, 10-sided atmospheric wave encircling Saturn's south pole. This is the first time such a large, regular-sided jet pattern has been observed in the southern hemisphere of the planet. Researchers believe this may be a new atmospheric phenomenon developing on Saturn.
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has made an exciting discovery about Saturn. A giant, 10-sided atmospheric wave, called a decagon, has been found encircling the south pole of the planet. This is the first time such a large, regular-sided jet pattern has been observed in the southern hemisphere of Saturn.
The discovery was possible because Saturn's changing seasons brought its south pole back into view from Earth. Astronomers who analyze images of Saturn from ground-based observatories first identified the decagon in 2024. The Hubble observations confirmed the feature's presence back to 2023.
The decagon is a vertically extended atmospheric structure that sits within one of Saturn's powerful jet streams. It appears remarkably similar to Saturn's famous hexagon at its north pole but is also distinctly different. Scientists believe this may be a new atmospheric phenomenon developing on the iconic gas giant.
Researchers used Hubble's Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program, which has photographed the outer planets annually for more than a decade. The OPAL principal investigator, Amy Simon, said,
Implications
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a giant, 10-sided atmospheric wave encircling Saturn's south pole. This is the first time such a large, regular-sided jet pattern has been observed in the southern hemisphere of the planet. Researchers believe this may be a new atmospheric phenomenon developing on Saturn.
Leave a comment