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Saturn South Pole Decagon: NASA Hubble Detects Mysterious 10-Sided Pattern Forming Around Planet

Astronomers recently identified a massive, 10-sided atmospheric wave circling Saturn's southern mid-latitudes, a phenomenon researchers call a decagon. The Hubble Space Telescope captured clear views between 2023 and 2025 as the planet's tilt shifted.
For over a decade, Saturn's south pole remained tilted away, hiding the region from telescopes. Unlike the stable north pole hexagon tracked since Voyager flybys in the early 1980s, this southern decagon appears ephemeral, with corners shifting strength and position.
Each of the decagon's ten facets stretches about 10,000 miles, while a jet stream beneath the structure tears along at about 260 mph. The formation is a repeating atmospheric wave rather than solid clouds.
The strongest corners gather near a nearby red spot storm, suggesting the decagon and wave share energy within the same jet. Lead study author Agustin Sánchez-Lavega noted this proximity may help trigger or influence the decagon's geometric shape.
Co-Author Amy Simon of the Goddard Space Flight Center stated, "The question is, why did it suddenly form now when we haven't seen one before?" Scientists hope studying the decagon will explain why giant planet jets settle into tidy structures.

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