Saturn south pole features massive ten-sided atmospheric decagon

Astronomers have discovered a massive ten-sided atmospheric structure, or decagon, encircling Saturn’s south pole. The finding, published in the journal Science Advances, was made through a re-examination of images from the Hubble Space Telescope and other observations.

The decagon is estimated to be approximately 167,820 kilometers wide, making it significantly larger than the well-known six-sided hexagon located at Saturn’s north pole. Unlike the relatively stable northern hexagon, this southern decagon appears to be a more recent and dynamic phenomenon, potentially forming between 2017 and 2023 when the southern hemisphere was tilted away from Earth’s view.

Researchers, including a team led by Agustín Sánchez-Lavega from the University of the Basque Country, suggest the structure is a large atmospheric wave embedded within a powerful jet stream. The formation likely resulted from instabilities in atmospheric currents or anticyclones. Scientists note that the decagon moves eastward at approximately 10 kilometers per hour, offering a rare opportunity to observe the development of a giant atmospheric pattern on another planet.