Saturn’s North Pole Hexagon: A Persistent Polygon in Its Global Jet
Saturn’s north-pole hexagon is a persistent, six-sided wave in a fast eastward jet surrounding a central cyclone—visible for decades and spanning about 30,000 km. Not a solid boundary, it’s a pattern in the atmosphere that survives Saturn’s seasons, likely a vertically trapped Rossby-wave in a deep jet; Cassini and Voyager data confirm its longevity and vertical reach into the stratosphere. Scientists still debate why the sixfold pattern persists, how deep the wave runs, and why the south pole lacks a similar hexagon, with laboratory rotating-fluid experiments offering a partial explanation but not a complete theory.
