Scientists find a huge 10-sided wave pattern swirling in the clouds over Saturn’s south pole
Amateur astronomers and Hubble images confirmed the feature, which appears to be a vertically extended jet stream moving at up to 400 kilometers per hour.
- On Wednesday, researchers announced the discovery of a 10-sided atmospheric wave, or decagon, circling Saturn's south pole, marking the first time such a large, regular-sided jet pattern has been observed in the planet's southern hemisphere.
- This new feature mirrors the famous hexagonal wave at Saturn's north pole, which has persisted for over 40 years; the south pole's tilt away from Earth prevented observations until recently.
- Lead author Agustin Sanchez-Lavega of the University of the Basque Country credited amateur astronomers alongside Hubble Space Telescope data in identifying the decagon, which moves at roughly 10 kilometers per hour within a jet stream reaching 400 kilometers per hour.
- Comparing these two polar formations allows scientists to better understand atmospheric dynamics on gas giants. Researchers are analyzing whether the decagon is a stable structure or a transient phenomenon driven by atmospheric disturbances.
- Future observations by the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes will determine if the decagon evolves into a robust feature or dissipates. Unlike the stationary northern hexagon, the decagon's vertices shift, raising questions about its long-term stability.
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Saturn has a new mystery on which astronomers can concentrate. At its south pole has appeared a gigantic ten-sided figure, an atmospheric wave that seems almost drawn with a compass in the atmosphere of the planet. It is not a solid structure, of course, and it is not even a phenomenon observable to the naked eye: it is a powerful current [...] The article A gigantic decagon appeared on Saturn: the mystery of the new wave at the south pole comes…
Saturn Has a 10-Sided Mystery: Astronomers Discover Massive ‘Decagon’ Around South Pole | 🔬 LatestLY
Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have discovered a massive 10-sided 'decagon' atmospheric wave encircling Saturn's south pole, spanning 104,250 miles across, far larger than the planet's famed northern hexagon. The find, published in Science Advances, offers a rare look at a giant vortex forming in real time. 🔬 Saturn Has a 10-Sided Mystery: Astronomers Discover Massive ‘Decagon’ Around South Pole.
Saturn's south pole continues to amaze with new scientific discoveries
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