Hubble Reveals 10-Sided Wave at Saturn's South Pole as Study Tracks Its 2023 Emergence
Updated
Updated · DISCOVER Magazine · Sep 2
Hubble Reveals 10-Sided Wave at Saturn's South Pole as Study Tracks Its 2023 Emergence
3 articles · Updated · DISCOVER Magazine · Sep 2
Summary
Hubble observations described in a new Science Advances study show a 10-sided atmospheric wave developing at Saturn’s south pole, a feature researchers first spotted in 2023 and clarified with 2024-25 images.
Simulations suggest the decagon formed inside a zonal jet stream, likely triggered by a periodic disturbance or a nearby swirling vortex north of the pole.
Saturn’s long-known northern hexagon offers the closest comparison, but the 6-sided wave has stayed stable for more than 40 years while the southern decagon appears to be strengthening.
NASA says Saturn’s uniform, surface-free atmosphere helps symmetric jet-stream patterns persist, unlike Earth, where stronger solar heating and rugged terrain disrupt such geometric structures.