NASA · Space

Hubble Discovers Decagon Cloud Pattern Around Saturn's South Pole

Recent Hubble Space Telescope observations have revealed a decagon (10-sided) geometric cloud pattern around Saturn's South Pole, contrasting with the previously known hexagonal pattern at its North Pole.

The hexagonal cloud formation at Saturn's North Pole was first observed in data from NASA's Voyager spacecraft in the early 1980s and has remained stable for over 40 years.

The newly observed decagon at the South Pole, captured in a composite image from Hubble, shows prominent bands of circulating clouds, with the decagon most apparent in the darker inner regions.

Scientists hypothesize that these geometric cloud patterns may be caused by wave interactions between fast-moving gas near the poles and slower-moving gas closer to them.

The stability of the southern decagon is expected to be a subject of ongoing research, while the northern hexagon has proven to be a long-lasting phenomenon.

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