The Hubble Space Telescope detected a huge decagonal atmospheric structure around Saturn's south pole. This ten-sided geometric figure was captured in August 2025 and is in motion, being an atmospheric wave that develops within one of the planet's powerful jet streams. The discovery was led by researchers and may help explain how Saturn's impressive polygonal structures form.
For more than four decades, Saturn was already known to possess a unique feature in the solar system: a gigantic hexagon etched into the clouds of its north pole, a structure that seemed almost impossible to replicate. Now, the ringed planet has expanded its atmospheric catalog with this new geometric shape at the south pole.
The research that revealed the southern decagon was led by researcher A. Sánchez-Lavega from the University of the Basque Country (EHU), with contributions from NASA and ESA. This discovery reinforces Saturn as one of the most extraordinary planets in our solar system in terms of atmospheric phenomena.
