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Scientists Spot Giant Ten-Sided Wave Over Saturn’s South Pole
Scientists found a huge cloud pattern near Saturn’s south pole.
The pattern has 10 straight sides, so it looks like a giant shape drawn in the sky.
It is made from moving clouds in Saturn’s atmosphere.
Scientists first clearly saw it with the Hubble Space Telescope in 2023.
They think it may have formed sometime between 2017 and 2023.
The shape is larger and less stable than Saturn’s famous six-sided cloud pattern at its north pole.
Unlike the northern shape, this new one slowly moves eastward.
Scientists will keep watching it to learn how weather works on giant planets.
They do not yet know how long the decagon will survive.
Scientists observed a massive, spinning decagon-shaped wave in Saturn’s southern atmosphere in 2023.
The formation lies in icy ammonia clouds and may have developed between 2017 and 2023.
One side of the decagon is already more than 10,000 miles (16,700 kilometers) long.
Unlike Saturn’s nearly stationary northern hexagon, the decagon moves eastward at about 6 mph (10 kph).
Researchers published the findings in Science Advances to investigate why Saturn produces polygon-shaped atmospheric waves.
- Who
- A Spanish-led team, including lead author Agustin Sanchez-Lavega, studied the formation; Leigh Fletcher measured its winds.
- What
- Scientists discovered a giant, moving, 10-sided atmospheric wave, or decagon, over Saturn’s south pole.
- Where
- In icy ammonia clouds over Saturn’s south pole.
- When
- It was observed by Hubble in 2023 and may have formed between 2017 and 2023; the findings were reported Wednesday and published in Science Advances.
- Why
- Researchers want to understand why Saturn produces polygon-shaped atmospheric waves and learn more about weather patterns on giant gas planets.
Key facts
- Shape
- A 10-sided, spinning and meandering decagon
- Location
- Saturn’s south pole
- First reported observation
- Hubble Space Telescope observations in 2023
- Estimated formation period
- Between 2017 and 2023
- Size
- One side exceeds 10,000 miles (16,700 kilometers)
- Movement
- Eastward at about 6 mph (10 kph)
- Comparison
- Saturn’s northern hexagon is practically stationary and has been visible for more than 40 years
Quotes
Agustin Sanchez-Lavega
Lead author from the University of the Basque Country
“This is a highly interesting phenomenon that appears to be unique to Saturn, and we want to know why”
livemint.com
“the ‘unique’ hexagon is not as extraordinary as we thought”
livemint.com
Sources
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