Saturn’s South Pole Unveils a Rare Ten-Sided Atmospheric Wave

Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope, alongside amateur observers and researchers from the University of Leicester, have documented a decagonal (10-sided) atmospheric wave around Saturn’s south pole—the first large, regular polygon observed in the planet’s southern hemisphere. The feature mirrors Saturn’s well-known north-p pole hexagon and has emerged as the southern hemisphere becomes more visible from Earth, with data from 2023–2025 and earlier observations published in Science Advances. Scientists say this discovery raises fundamental questions about atmospheric dynamics on gas giants and how long this decagon might persist, warranting further observations.