SEANGWORLD FACT BRIEF · SEANGWORLDNEWS · 1 SOURCE
Hubble Space Telescope images reveal a decagon-shaped cloud pattern around Saturn’s south pole
Observations made by the Hubble Space Telescope show a geometric cloud pattern with ten sides (a decagon) surrounding the south pole of Saturn. This contrasts with the well-known six-sided (hexagonal) cloud formation around Saturn’s north pole, discovered in 1987 by NASA’s Voyager spacecraft. The decagon pattern appears most prominent in darker inner regions near the south pole. The geometric boundaries are possibly caused by interactions between fast-moving gases away from the poles and slower-moving gases closer to the poles. While the northern hexagon has remained stable for over 40 years, the stability of the southern decagon remains under research.
Published ET · Updated ET
Corroboration
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Facts
- Established factNASA
Hubble Space Telescope observations reveal a decagonal (10-sided) cloud pattern around Saturn's south pole.
- Established factNASA
Saturn's north pole has a well-known hexagonal (6-sided) cloud discovered in 1987 by Voyager spacecraft data.
- Established factNASA
The geometric boundaries of the pole cloud patterns are possibly caused by waves from interactions between fast-moving gas away from the poles and slower-moving gas closer to the poles.
- Established factNASA
The northern hexagon has proven stable for over 40 years, while the southern decagon's stability is still being researched.
What happens next
The stability of Saturn's southern decagon will continue to be a topic of scientific research.
Sources
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