Hubble tracks new decagon encircling Saturn's south pole

Recent observations with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have revealed a giant, evolving, 10-sided atmospheric wave encircling Saturn's south pole. This discovery marks the first time a large, regular-sided jet pattern has been observed in the planet's southern hemisphere. The feature appears remarkably similar to Saturn's famous hexagon at its north pole but

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  1. The Enduring Hexagon Jet Stream: Saturn's north pole is home to a stable, six-sided jet stream, approximately 20,000 miles (32,000 kilometers) across, with winds blowing at about 200 mph (320 km/h), observed since the Voyager mission in 1981.
  2. Massive Great White Spots: Saturn experiences periodic, colossal storms known as Great White Spots, which erupt every 20-30 Earth years, can be thousands of kilometers wide (some as large as Earth), and are visible even from Earth-based telescopes.
  3. The Newly Tracked Decagon Vortex: Hubble observations have recently revealed a giant, evolving 10-sided atmospheric wave, or decagon, encircling Saturn's south pole, a feature that has become increasingly distinct since 2023 and is the first large, persistent, regular-sided pattern observed in Saturn's southern hemisphere.

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