NASA scientists discover a giant 10-sided pattern on Saturn

A huge 10-sided atmospheric pattern has appeared around Saturn’s south pole, giving the planet a surprising counterpart to its famous northern hexagon. Hubble data suggest the strange decagon only began emerging in the past few years and is still growing stronger. Researchers hope continued observations will reveal why it suddenly formed and whether it could persist for decades.

NASA scientists discover a giant 10-sided pattern on Saturn. Observations show the decagon extends through multiple layers of Saturn’s atmosphere. It is the first time scientists have observed a large, regularly shaped jet pattern in Saturn’s southern hemisphere.

The structure has some similarities to Saturn’s famous hexagon at its northern pole, but important differences suggest researchers may be watching a distinct atmospheric phenomenon take shape. The results were published in the journal Science Advances. A New Pattern Emerges on Saturn Researchers reconstructed the development of the feature using several years of Hubble observations going back to 2023.