Hubble Finds 10-Sided Wave at Saturn's South Pole as 32-Day Oscillation Defies North Hexagon
Updated
Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Nov 30
Hubble Finds 10-Sided Wave at Saturn's South Pole as 32-Day Oscillation Defies North Hexagon
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Nov 30
Summary
Hubble tracked a 10-sided atmospheric wave forming at Saturn’s south pole between 2023 and 2025 after the region returned to view from Earth.
At about 63° south latitude, the decagon spans roughly 167,820 km, with sides about 16,782 km long—each wider than Earth’s diameter.
Unlike Saturn’s long-stable north polar hexagon, the southern wave’s vertices drift on a roughly 32-day cycle at about 2.5 m/s, and 2025 images suggest it is still assembling.
Simulations reported in Science Advances indicate periodic disturbances in the southern jet—possibly linked to a large counterclockwise vortex—could be driving the 10-sided pattern.
The finding gives scientists a second example of polygonal jet waves on Saturn, improving models used to interpret atmospheres on gas giants, brown dwarfs and exoplanets.